Acknowledgment

As many of us are immigrants, refugees, the grandchildren of colonisers, and/or descendants of those violently brought to this land, it is our collective responsibility to pay respect and recognise that the lands we occupy are the traditional territories of Indigenous nations. We are here because this land has been stolen and occupied forcefully.

Therefore, I respectfully acknowledge the Traditional Owners and Custodians of the land, waters, and communities in this dimension and beyond in which I work, live, and dream - the Byellee, Gooreng Gooreng, Gurang, and Taribelang Bunda people. I pay my respects to the Elders past, present, and emerging of Indigenous nations in Australia and abroad.

I recognise that the opportunity I’ve had to travel and live in different countries is a luxury; a wealth given to me by the system in which I was born. As I move through the process of unlearning and relinquishing that privilege, I endeavour to find ways to enact positive change in the global and local communities.

It is our collective responsibility to critically interrogate and reconcile with these colonial histories, both thoroughly and intersectionally. We must deconstruct the present-day implications of this colonisation to honour, respect, protect, and sustain this still-invaded land and its people.