Bennelong Society
Encyclopedia
The Bennelong Society is as a conservative think-tank dedicated to Indigenous Australian affairs. The society was named after the Eora
man, Bennelong
, who served as an interlocutor
between the Indigenous Australian
and British
cultures, both in Sydney
and in the United Kingdom
almost from the start of British settlement of Australia
in 1788
.
It is affiliated with conservative commentators in debates on Indigenous affairs.
The society was established to:
The Bennelong Society's Website was officially launched by Senator the Hon. John Herron
with a speech at Parliament House, Canberra on 15 May 2001.
It is one of a number of groups including the H. R. Nicholls Society
, Samuel Griffith Society
and Lavoisier Group
, promoted by Australian business leader and political activist Ray Evans
.
Eora
The Eora are the Aboriginal people of the Sydney area, south to the Georges River, north to the Hawkesbury River, and west to Parramatta. The indigenous people used this word to describe where they came from to the British. "Eora" was then used by the British to refer to those Aboriginal people...
man, Bennelong
Bennelong
Woollarawarre Bennelong was a senior man of the Eora, an Aboriginal people of the Port Jackson area, at the time of the first British settlement in Australia, in 1788...
, who served as an interlocutor
Interlocutor
Interlocutor may refer to:* Interlocutor , the master of ceremonies of a minstrel show* Interlocutor , someone who informally explains the views of a government and also can relay messages back to a government...
between the Indigenous Australian
Indigenous Australians
Indigenous Australians are the original inhabitants of the Australian continent and nearby islands. The Aboriginal Indigenous Australians migrated from the Indian continent around 75,000 to 100,000 years ago....
and British
Kingdom of Great Britain
The former Kingdom of Great Britain, sometimes described as the 'United Kingdom of Great Britain', That the Two Kingdoms of Scotland and England, shall upon the 1st May next ensuing the date hereof, and forever after, be United into One Kingdom by the Name of GREAT BRITAIN. was a sovereign...
cultures, both in Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
and in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
almost from the start of British settlement of Australia
First Fleet
The First Fleet is the name given to the eleven ships which sailed from Great Britain on 13 May 1787 with about 1,487 people, including 778 convicts , to establish the first European colony in Australia, in the region which Captain Cook had named New South Wales. The fleet was led by Captain ...
in 1788
1788 in Australia
-Leaders:*Governor of New South Wales – Captain Arthur Phillip*Governor of Norfolk Island – Philip Gidley King*Commanding officer of the colony's marine presence – Major Robert Ross-Events:* 18 January – HMS Supply of the First Fleet arrives in Botany Bay....
.
It is affiliated with conservative commentators in debates on Indigenous affairs.
The society was established to:
- promote debate and analysis of AboriginalIndigenous AustraliansIndigenous Australians are the original inhabitants of the Australian continent and nearby islands. The Aboriginal Indigenous Australians migrated from the Indian continent around 75,000 to 100,000 years ago....
policy in AustraliaAustraliaAustralia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, both contemporary and historical; - inquire into the causes of the present appalling plight of many contemporary Aboriginal people;
- seek to influence public opinion so that the prospects for amelioration of the condition of these people are improved;
- encourage research into the history of the interaction between Australia's Indigenous people and the Europeans and others who settled in Australia from 17881788 in Australia-Leaders:*Governor of New South Wales – Captain Arthur Phillip*Governor of Norfolk Island – Philip Gidley King*Commanding officer of the colony's marine presence – Major Robert Ross-Events:* 18 January – HMS Supply of the First Fleet arrives in Botany Bay....
onwards, and of the ideas through which this interaction was interpreted by both Europeans and Aborigines; - make available to the Australian community, particularly through the Internet, the results of these activities.
The Bennelong Society's Website was officially launched by Senator the Hon. John Herron
John Herron (Australian politician)
Dr. John Joseph Herron , Australian politician, ambassador and surgeon, was a Liberal member of the Australian Senate from 1 July 1990 to 5 September 2002, representing Queensland. From 2002 to 2006 he was the Australian Ambassador to Ireland and the Holy See.Dr...
with a speech at Parliament House, Canberra on 15 May 2001.
It is one of a number of groups including the H. R. Nicholls Society
H. R. Nicholls Society
The H.R. Nicholls Society is an Australian think tank of the New Right on industrial relations. It was created in March 1986 after John Stone, Peter Costello, Barrie Purvis, and Ray Evans organised a seminar aimed at discussing the Hancock Report and other industrial matters.The Society is named...
, Samuel Griffith Society
Samuel Griffith Society
The Samuel Griffith Society was founded by former Chief Justice Sir Harry Gibbs, John Stone and others in 1992. Named after Sir Samuel Griffith, one of the architects of the Australian Constitution, the society describes its prime role: ".....
and Lavoisier Group
Lavoisier Group
The Lavoisier Group is an organisation based in Australia that promotes scepticism of current scientific consensus on global warming. The organisation questions the fears of the effects of global warming, the idea that human activity causes it, and the wisdom of policies designed to curtail it...
, promoted by Australian business leader and political activist Ray Evans
Ray Evans (Australian businessman)
Ray Evans is an Australian business leader, a conservative, and campaigner against climate change mitigation efforts.-Early years:Evans was educated at the Melbourne High School before he attended University of Melbourne and graduated in Electrical and Mechanical Engineering...
.
Bennelong Medal
The Society holds an annual conference and has awarded the Bennelong Medal since 2002. Recipients of the medal have been:- 20022002 in Australia-Incumbents:*Monarch – Queen Elizabeth II*Governor General – Peter Hollingworth*Prime Minister – John Howard*Premier of New South Wales – Bob Carr*Premier of South Australia – Rob Kerin, then Mike Rann*Premier of Queensland – Peter Beattie...
: Professor Boni Robertson, who had chaired the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Women's Task Force on Violence. Citation: "awarded for her leadership in the difficult area of family violence and her courage in pursuing actions by both State and Federal governments to ameliorate this grave problem." - 20032003 in Australia-Incumbents:*Monarch – Queen Elizabeth II*Governor General – Peter Hollingworth, then Administrator of Australia – Sir Guy Green , then Michael Jeffery*Prime Minister – John Howard*Premier of New South Wales – Bob Carr*Premier of South Australia – Mike Rann...
: Dulcie and Dorothy Wilson, members of the NgarrindjeriNgarrindjeriThe Ngarrindjeri are a nation of eighteen "tribes" consisting of numerous family clans who speak similar dialects of the Ngarrindjeri language and are the traditional Aboriginal people of the lower Murray River, western Fleurieu Peninsula, and the Coorong of southern, central...
community of South AustraliaSouth AustraliaSouth Australia is a state of Australia in the southern central part of the country. It covers some of the most arid parts of the continent; with a total land area of , it is the fourth largest of Australia's six states and two territories.South Australia shares borders with all of the mainland...
, and significant dissidents in the Hindmarsh Island bridge controversyHindmarsh Island bridge controversyThe Hindmarsh Island bridge controversy was a 1990s Australian legal and political controversy that involved the clash of Indigenous Australian religious beliefs and property rights...
. Citation: "Hindmarsh Island is in the end a story of heroism. It is about the courage of the dissident women who saw their culture being abused and decided to do something about it." - 20042004 in Australia-Incumbents:*Monarch – Queen Elizabeth II*Governor General – Michael Jeffery*Prime Minister – John Howard*Premier of New South Wales – Bob Carr*Premier of South Australia – Mike Rann*Premier of Queensland – Peter Beattie...
: Pastor Paul Albrecht AM, Director of the Finke River (Hermannsburg) MissionHermannsburg, Northern TerritoryHermannsburg is an Aboriginal community in the Northern Territory of Australia, 131 km southwest of Alice Springs. It is known in the local Western Arrernte language as Ntaria....
from 1970 to 1998. Citation: "He was awarded the Bennelong Medal in recognition of his long and dedicated service as missionary and translator to the Aboriginal people of Central Australia, and as wise councillor to all Australians on Aboriginal Affairs." - 20052005 in AustraliaSee also:2004 in Australia,other events of 2005,2006 in Australia-Incumbents:*Monarch – Queen Elizabeth II*Governor-General – Michael Jeffery*Prime Minister – John Howard-Premiers and Chief Ministers:...
: Warren MundineWarren MundineWarren Stephen Mundine is an Australian Aboriginal leader and the former National President of the Australian Labor Party . He is a member of the Bundjalung people....
, vice-president of the Australian Labor PartyAustralian Labor PartyThe Australian Labor Party is an Australian political party. It has been the governing party of the Commonwealth of Australia since the 2007 federal election. Julia Gillard is the party's federal parliamentary leader and Prime Minister of Australia...
. Citation: "Warren has been a brave advocate for change. His proposal to change the way community owned land is controlled was aimed quite squarely at improving the wealth and well-being of his people." - 20062006 in Australia-Incumbents:*Monarch – Queen Elizabeth II*Governor-General – Michael Jeffery*Prime Minister – John Howard-Premiers and Chief Ministers:*Premier of New South Wales – Morris Iemma*Premier of South Australia – Mike Rann*Premier of Queensland – Peter Beattie...
: Dr Sue GordonSue GordonDr. Sue Gordon, AM, is a retired indigenous Australian magistrate from Western Australia.Born at Belele Station, near Meekatharra, Western Australia in 1944, she was separated from her mother and family at the age of four and raised at Sister Kate's home in Queens Park, Western Australia...
, AM, Chair of the National Indigenous CouncilNational Indigenous CouncilThe National Indigenous Council was an appointed advisory body to the Australian Government through the Ministerial Taskforce on Indigenous Affairs established in November 2004 and chaired by Dr Sue Gordon, a Western Australian Magistrate...
and a Western Australian magistrate. Citation: for her devotion and commitment to the well-being of Aboriginal Australians - 20072007 in Australia-Incumbents:* Monarch – Queen Elizabeth II* Governor-General – Michael Jeffery* Prime Minister – John Howard , then Kevin Rudd-Premiers and Chief Ministers:* Premier of New South Wales – Morris Iemma* Premier of South Australia – Mike Rann...
: Louis NowraLouis NowraLouis Nowra is an Australian writer, playwright, screenwriter and librettist.He is best known as one of Australia's leading playwrights...
, a respected and established Australian playwright. Citation: 31 August 2007 by John Reeves QC, a member of the NT Emergency Response Task Force, for his courage in writing about Aboriginal men's violence towards Aboriginal women in his book, Bad Dreaming - 20082008 in Australia-Incumbents:*Monarch – Queen Elizabeth II*Governor-General – Michael Jeffery , then Quentin Bryce*Prime Minister – Kevin Rudd-Premiers and Chief Ministers:*Premier of New South Wales – Morris Iemma , then Nathan Rees...
: Hon. Mal BroughMal BroughMalcolm Thomas "Mal" Brough is a former Australian politician and Liberal member of the Australian House of Representatives from March 1996 to November 2007, representing the Division of Longman, Queensland...
who was the Minister for Indigenous Affairs in the HowardJohn HowardJohn Winston Howard AC, SSI, was the 25th Prime Minister of Australia, from 11 March 1996 to 3 December 2007. He was the second-longest serving Australian Prime Minister after Sir Robert Menzies....
Government that initiated the Northern Territory National Emergency ResponseNorthern Territory National Emergency ResponseThe Northern Territory National Emergency Response was a package of changes to welfare provision, law enforcement, land tenure and other measures, introduced by the Australian federal government under John Howard in 2007 to address claims of rampant child sexual abuse and neglect in Northern...
. Citation: for bringing hope to the women and children living in remote Aboriginal communities, for a future free from violence and appalling abuse - 20092009 in Australia-Incumbents:*Monarch – Queen Elizabeth II*Governor-General – Quentin Bryce*Prime Minister – Kevin Rudd-Premiers and Chief Ministers:*Premier of New South Wales – Nathan Rees , then Kristina Keneally*Premier of South Australia – Mike Rann...
: Bess PriceBess PriceBess Nungarrayi Price is an Australian indigenous activist and chair of the Northern Territory Indigenous Affairs Advisory Council.Born in Yuendumu, her first language is Warlpiri. She also knows Luritja, Western Arrernte and Anmatyerre...
, indigenous Alice Springs activist who has criticised indigenous violence. Citation: 'for her forthright defence of the Northern Territory National Emergency ResponseNorthern Territory National Emergency ResponseThe Northern Territory National Emergency Response was a package of changes to welfare provision, law enforcement, land tenure and other measures, introduced by the Australian federal government under John Howard in 2007 to address claims of rampant child sexual abuse and neglect in Northern...
and her challenge to "white students and cranky Kooris and Murris from down south who know nothing about Aboriginal people and who hate whitefellas"' .