Senator Jana Stewart on Racism in Australian Parliament

Welcome to First things first, I'm brook Blatten. My pronouns for she and her.

Mattie Meals my pronouns are he and him. And before we get started, we'd like to acknowledge the custodians of the land on which we record. And today that's the Gatigal people of the urination for me.

And for me it's a roundering people of the cooler nation.

Let's get it giving to it.

So today we have the beautiful I'm actually just going to let you introduce yourself and who's your mob and where do you come from?

So my name is Joanna Stewart. I'm a muddy muddy wamba whamber woman and I'm a Labor Senator for Victoria.

So I've harassed Jana to be my friend. Now she's on the podcast. I've followed your sort of politics journey for a little bit on socials. You know, when you just feel connected via socials and you want to get to know someone a bit more closer, attle bit more.

We need to be in each other's lives.

A little bit. Yeah, yeah, yeah, and a lot of it. Sorry, but so yeah, that's why I say I'm kind of asked you to be my friend, and now you're here, and now I'm making you come on the podcast. I think this is also a really I want to highlight it in such a beautiful way, but also be like this needs to be better. You're one of the youngest First Nations women to be elected in federal Parliament, which is amazing, Like, that's incredible. Yeah.

The funny thing about is, actually, don't feel like I'm that young. I'm thirty seven now.

Doesn't look like a day over twenty.

Oh yeah, actually I say yeah.

I love when your white friends like squirm when you say that. You're like, I can't say that, and you're like a couple of my colleagues like, what.

What did you say?

I said what I said?

Yeah, I was Yeah, I was thirty five when I went into the parliament.

I was thirty four or thirty five weeks.

Pregnant too, and the youngest average woman to go into the parliament. And it feels like a huge achievement. But also it feels like I shouldn't be the youngest at thirty five, like lots of lots of our women are pretty deadly exactly.

Yeah, but that's that crazy?

Is that?

I guess why do people kind of have that feeling that you join politics later, like at an older age. Is it because of life experience? Why is it such a thing where it's like, oh, I'll do that when I'm like you know, you know what I mean? Or is it an experience thing like you need to get a certain type of experience.

I think it's different for lots of people. But if I was to hazard a guess for our mob and if it's similar to me, like I didn't see politics as a pathway for me or a career path for me at all, not until really that was when the State Labor Government committed to treaty that I first became interested in politics. But before then I didn't really see it as a place for us for mob, and in fact, it's done quite the opposite to our mob for a very long time. Yeah, So it was a big call

And so I would imagine for.

Lots of our young followers, they probably don't see that connection either, that actually the decisions that get made in our parliaments impact how you live your life every day exactly, And I think COVID really brought that to the front

You can only leave your house for an hour. Yeah, Like that's so.

I think people should absolutely be engaged in politics because it impacts every part of our lives. And you need good people all along the spectrum. Like you need people on the ground doing that work with people who need it most. You need good people in our parliament being able to influence legislation and policy in funding. So you need good people all along that spectrum.

Yeah, I want to know what was like, I guess for you growing up, Like I mean, you said that you had no interest in it originally, but you sort of would you say you fell into it or you sort of were like, nah, like, this is the direction I want to go in.

So my journey into politics was really interesting because when I was young, there weren't any First Nations women that I seen in politics, and so lots of the women that I looked up to, the leaders that I looked up to, were actually people in my family, in my community. I didn't look to the Parliament as one of those places. And I imagine that's similar to lots of our mob too.

That's where I end up.

So I started working at the Victorian Amagual child Care agency after I finished year twelve. And when I called my nan and told her that I got a job there, she just laughed because I was the generation to start working there.

It's so nice, like giving it.

Yeah, not that I knew that that's what I would do, Like I didn't know what I wanted to be when I finished high school. It's part of the reason that I didn't go to university because I don't want to spend the bucket loading money on her qualification.

So much pressure as well for like people what was seventeen eighteen to know what they want to do with the rest of their life.

I still don't know.

You shouldn't know what I go same girls, same.

So like it was just I didn't know what I wanted to be, so I went into So I got a job at the Victorian Amaual Tricur Agency VAKA and started working there, taking averageur kids to supervise visits with their parents once they'd be removed as a part of

You needed to explore it and I just.

Needed to find out what actually put the fire in my belly what I really loved, and actually working with families.

Is what I really loved.

What does family therapy look like? Is it? Is it like where the family come into therapy together and you're trying to figure out how to have a family dynamic and relationship or what is it?

I know which which feels so foreign right for our mob topic that we were coming to these kind of clinical settings, But it can.

My family need it a couple have you told her that?

But like family therapy could happen in lots of different ways. Really it's a kind of it's a it's also different kind of theories and frameworks and ways of engaging that help you to kind of draw out feelings and experiences.

We've got a few things you want to talk about, we.

Have literally entering out dirty law and red.

OK, enough about this.

I don't actually like.

Him, So it's and but it's interesting because actually the therapeutic work actually doesn't happen to have to happen in the kind of purest clinical spaces.

I've done that work too, so I did some of that work at VACKA, but I also went to the Bowery Center, which is where you do the in the room work with families, and I did a clinical Masters while I was there too. And like you sit in a room with a family, you've got one way mirror on one side. This is part of my training. You've got five other people from your class watching you with

Ask them this question.

So like, sure, so ask that question. And then afterwards you have a conversation. Well, the family goes behind the mirror, the rest of your kind of supervision group comes into the room. They talk about what they observed in the family, and it's actually really quite powerful for the family.

The family watch what you guys observed and discussed openly discussing.

Yeah.

Yeah, so you're kind of having a session in front of them, right, Well, I'm not. I'm behind the mirror with them, and then you swap back over again and then they can talk about.

What that felt like, that's interesting.

Incredible, And then there's a session on you writers the therapist. Yeah, and so then the class asked you, why didn't you ask that question?

Yeah?

Okay, So then you unpack your own Oh yeah, bias, like not that you do. Yeah, it is biased, and so it's not so bias isn't necessarily a bad thing, but actually about understanding it and understanding how influences the decisions that you make.

Yeah, Because I feel like if I was a mob therapist kind of thing, like I would have things that I would probably know unconsciously what not to approach about certain things. I guess in the therapy world, you'd have to challenge that. I can imagine, you know, like because you would, Yeah, you would. You'd be thinking that you'd respecting the family, but you actually need to get under it and like unpack it.

Hey, so absolutely absolutely So that's fascinating and.

That's how you get assessed type thing as well.

Yeah, oh my god.

Yeah.

And so you do like a big presentation on like your family genogram, and you talk about your growing up and kind of about what I might do today, and you kind of talk about how that impacted you and how that how you think that's made you the person that you are today, and you have a better understanding of the different things that influence you for better or for worse.

Well, let's go into that. Let's go into Swan Hill.

You grew up in swan Yeah.

I did tell us about your childhood, Like, what was it like paint a picture for listeners close with.

Your grandma's Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, my.

Nan was.

She was a backbone about our family, like lots of average women are for their families really, so in that way, like she was. She was no exception to other Aragual matriarchs in their families.

And I often get told that I'm.

Like my nan staunch and deadly, which.

You know, well, like I do, wear it with a badge of honor. Yeah, my kind of growing up had ups and downs, I suppose, like I grew up in a home where there was family violence and drug addiction. I went to thirteen different primary schools, so I had a lot of kind of disruption and trauma I suppose in my life, so much so that my nan removed us from my mum when we were younger, like us three older ones, and she would say her biggest regret is not actually taking the three younger ones with her too.

Have you alive? Gone in different directions the three older and three younger.

Because eventually my mom kind of got her shit together and then come to Swan Hills, so like they're not like they're not on that path anymore, which is I think attested it to their kind of strength, strength and determination really to want to kind of keep the family together and do the right thing by her kids. She eventually got got herself back on track and we lived with my nan for a couple of years in swan Hill before my mum realized that she needed to kind

Oh wow, yeah, so you held probably a lot of responsibility, I guess.

Absolutely, absolutely, Like I shielded my brothers and sisters from lots of the violence in the home, locked them in the room so I could go and deal with it.

Like I think it's made us.

Well, it feels like a norm, right, And Maddie and I talked about this often without what was happening in our household was just the norm, and that probably felt so normal in a way, like quotation normal to you

Yeah, well I think there's like there is some research that suggests that having some kind of responsibilities as a key in terms of parenting maybe seems like a too big a word for it, but kind of responsibilities goes to you having some roles and responsibilities in your house is actually good for you. Yeah, Like maybe not the trauma, but actually the resilience.

And I think this is the thing right independence.

That you know, it does like I think it kind of it taught me a lot and it did go a long way to kind of making me who I am. And I think about you know, I think if that just one kind of example, you know, the thirteen different schools that I went to, I think that's what makes me so good at creating and developing new relationships because I had to so many times as a kid.

That is why I'm so good. Yes, yeah, I like, Hi, how are you?

I'm on repeat?

I'm sorry.

Yeah, I.

Went to so many different schools too. I was always the new girl and money. I think you're the same, Like we're just so good for people, and you know, you're so warm and welcoming and approachable, like that's that's what you want as a person, but.

That's also what you had to be to survive exactly.

Yeah, survival skills.

And I think it does like against all odds really, And this is the thing I suppose for.

Me that all the city stics tell you.

You know, I remember being in a classroom when I was I don't know, like fifteen. I remember them reading out they're closing the gap statistics. Right, if you grew up in a home where as family violence, you're more likely to up at home with family violence, You're not you're less likely to go to university, you're not going to own your own home.

Whatever, whatever.

There's all these statistics to kind of try to reinforce you, as a young amagal person that great things aren't possible for you because I'd distacked against you.

Yeah, actually that's not true. Now some of those old will tell you that you might end up in the Senate.

Yeah exactly.

I'm just whiz my way past them and I've like see it later.

But you know what, like I believe like and I think that Brook you can attest to this too. It's that like, as young people, when we go through a lot of like adversity, especially as First Nations MOB, like, there is something about that that is like that it creates this motivation in yourself to break cycles or to you know, make change. And I think that obviously what you're doing is by being in politics, is you know, using all those experiences that you had and wanting to

No, I think they're incredibly helpful.

Nobody's walked a day in my shoes, and I think that having a diversity of experiences in Parliament can only make the decisions that we make better.

Yeah, exactly, because there's too many clones of each other in that place. Are just you know, clone cut copies of privilege. And I think that when you have people who come from our community, no matter what walk of life, because you know, as First Nations people that everyone has dealt with a level of disadvantage, you know, if it's

That's a really great question.

Like, certainly the work with families is a part of the drive for me wanting to be in this place. One of my core beliefs is that we absolutely need to invest in women and families. That's where the change happens. You know, our families, our women in particular, have a huge responsibility of raising our next generation. We know how

Absolutely, my dad says that, actually, my adopted dad, he says that women are our first educators because like a man who educated another man, but he educated woman to educate the family. Like that's what his mentality is, like, you know, because the yeah, like and I'm not I'm not that that's you know, not saying that the men have don't have their part as well, but.

That it's definitely an interesting perspective. And I think that that's why it's important to have female voices in institutions and policymaking, because they do come from a different lens. There is that there's this caring nature to women that is less than you know, this conquering nature of men. So it's like, I think it's so important that women are in these places and all the ones pushing for change because it does come from a different perspective, better perspective.

You know.

Now, women have been change makers for a very long time, and so you know, I certainly do stand on the shoulders of giants in this in this place.

We love that saying, yeah, absolutely, because it's true.

And I think it's so important to acknowledge the people that have come before you because I think, you know, thinking back to my NaN's days when she was you know, I think one of a handful of people at VAKA covering the entire state for angel kids and out of home care.

There's no way, in.

Her wildest dreams she would have thought that was possible for an age person to be in this job.

And that would have been less resources, less money, absolutely, and then got it done.

Yeah, absolutely, and a system that was even more stacked against them. So you know the fact that we are here now speaks to the fact that every step that our mob have taken over the decades has gotten as to where we are today. And I think that is an important thing to acknowledge. We don't get here without.

The people who have done the hard work in the past.

Like it does remind me of something that my mum used to say to me all the time, you know, being the oldest of six. She would say to me, you know it's your job to let all the sticks and stones hit you. She got to clear a path for your brothers and sisters.

I don't know if I'm strong enough.

Yes, I know there's a little pressure behind that, a lot of pressure, a.

Lot of pressure.

But you got to stand up right, like got to You've got to make it hold down. Absolutely, And because you know that we don't have room for failure.

We don't do we And I say this, we say this.

Often when we do, we're just pushed aside. Yeah, it's like if you fail, then there's no opportunity for redemption, and people are waiting for that, waiting, and you know what, don't.

Give it to them.

Exactly. I think some of these white people in the media we talk about literally have nine lives, And I'm like, that happened how because that happened to one of us canceled by are gone.

And we have to be three times as good as those of our white parts. But I do want to ask you we are exactly. I wanted to ask you this question because I always feel that if I was in politics, and if I was in you know, a government body, and they will as a mob that were in that room or a part of this institution. Is their mob code? Like is there something that you are connected to as first nation's people, you know throughout the government?

There is?

Absolutely?

Like I think I think it shows in different ways, and I think there's like it goes so far, I think, but I feel like there's a good hint of it today in that this badge that I'm wearing is actually from Green Senator during the COXA, so she gave me a like a birthday card. And so I think that there is on tough days when you know there is some stuff going down in the Senator, in the Parliament that we know is real heavy for MOB, we'll check

Yeah.

What I would say about that is that every much a person that's in that place wants our communities, wants our families, want their kids to be better, They want them to have a better life than we've got today. And I think we've got different ideas about how we get there. Everyone wants our mob to have better outcomes that we've got today.

And I think that's what.

That's what I come back to you on the really frustrating days that we're all fighting for our families to be better off.

Yeah, we say that a lot. Sometimes you got to do the things that you got to do, but the main objective doesn't change, which is to you know, help our mob, help our communities. I have a question. I guess for the future, I can talk to you all day every day. Yeah, because yeah, and we have. When we were first man, I had loub in my hair.

That's an interesting story. Let's go there, Senator.

I saw her after a shoot.

I saw her after the money do it when they come into my office.

I'm going to look. I am going to just my lip because when you said, I make everyone do it when they come into my office, I'm just going to tighten that and throw it away. I'm not saying anything. You're bad. Podcast used to be called Not So PG like we changed.

We changed it.

Yes, shut up, possibly comment No.

Came in after a shoot and I was so embarrassed because I was like, yeah, I still had the wetness of my hair. It was actually my wellness shoot that I did wellness cover.

Yeah, it's like that was a beautiful beautiful.

Shoot, thank you, but yeah even with a loop hair.

God, but I had ton't even look looped up on the cover.

So what oh that was the dra shot and then we did the webshots. Yeah yeah, anyways, not enough about me anyways. So future wise, I mean I talked about this and the Wellness cover actually because I think that our young people are our future. Obviously everyone thinks next generation. I guess, what do you want to see for our young people in general? But also I guess in politics, like, what do you think will draw our young people to being young leaders?

I think the first thing I would say is that just by very nature of who they are, they're already leading the way like our mobile incredible, And that's a narrative that I think is not spoken about enough. But if I kind of take a higher level, I think, you know, I want for our kids not to have to pick up the pieces in the same way that we have. And I think I feel like for us, and I don't know if this is and I say us, I use a royal us.

You know, you feel drawn like you.

Feel a sense of responsibility to have to come and work in spaces to lift own mob up. Yeah, and I think that is a good thing that our people want to come and help, and I think it is a part of our nature to want to help our brothers and sisters.

Yeah.

Absolutely, But I want our young people to not have to feel that same draw of responsibility because things are better.

Yeah, they just exist.

They can just exist.

They you know what, they can go and do ballet, They can go into a whole bunch of money, I tell because they can go engineers. You know, they're not drawn to they're not drawn to the workforces that are there to try lift down mob up out of poverty.

Yeah. I always think, like one of the hopes I have for our communities that we feel light one day,

Yeah, I wholeheartedly agree with that.

There is this overarching narrative about who we are in this country and it's part of the Like what I'm focused on right now is that I chair a Joint Parliamentary Committee on Aboriginal interrustur Land Affairs. I took over from Uncle Pat Dodson, who volun told me that's what I needed to do.

And when Uncle patay, you just do it, you just do it exactly and you're going to take it.

I love that, so thanks Uncapat.

And one of the first things that I wanted the committee to do was look at Abaginal people's contribution to the economy, which is pretty.

Much you don't really think about.

Abaginal people are absolutely economic partners in this country, economic players in this country.

But that narrative is not told. So there was a snapshot in.

Terms of average businesses contribution that was done by Melbourne University at the beginning of the year. I think it was their third one that says that averageor businesses contribute sixteen point one billion dollars to the economy. They employ one hundred and sixteen thousand people across the country, which is the equivalent to the town of Bendigo. Our Mob are absolutely kicking goals out there, but we are not talked about as economic contributors or partners in this country.

Yeah, and that is really empowering.

Mother scared about business and business and finance talk. I feel like in my family we didn't really talk about more.

Of that stuff, and it was financial literacy is and something that is covered when you're growing up. It's more like.

A lot see there you go. And I feel like, I mean, that's like something that I love teaching. When I work at mits and I work with the kids and talk about you know, they're like, do you make money off your sponsored ad? And I'll talk about it all the time because I'm like, yes, I do, and then I got to pay tax, and then I got to pay and pay my superanuation because I'm a business owner.

Doing one of the things that has come up the inquiry, which is that when people have talked about the because one of the things that happens when you kind of have these inquiries, people often talk about the barriers too, which is what you need to understand. You need to understand the problem before you can seek to resolve it.

And not saying when you get your money, you can spend it all the other Well, this is so.

Funny because I reckon I had a little business when I was youngest. Mummy is to make a lot of money off cards.

Look at where we're hearing like poker.

No rummy, like rubbing cards like you know rummy the set of seven year suits and you know to get four and a three pair, I.

Said, a card game in our future.

Okay play well, yeah, And she would make some money, right, and I stole one time sixteen dollars mom's first. But then I went and bought all these lollies and I charged double of what.

I got them for.

Yes.

Then I went and dealing with all the other kids and I got made back to like twenty something dollars. Afterwards, I was like, this.

Is a slow did you give your mom back at sixteen for it? But terrible?

I need a family therapy.

She was like entrepreneurial spirit. She was like, you stole that.

That was a good place I did. I did?

Yeah, I did the running away oh stick of his house. Literally packed my bag. Nothing in the bag that's useful for SKI.

Was just lollies and you in your sugar heart. All right, Oh, I think that's all we have time for. We're getting the wrap up.

I know, is there anything you want to say or a labrador or not?

I mean think I think the only thing that I would say to any kind of young mob who were listening is that I'm high, because it's absolutely possible for you to achieve your dreams. And if there's anybody that's proof of it, it's the two people that we've got sitting here and Brooke and Maddie, and I think you can look around and see black excells everywhere.

No, you inspire me, friends, I said to I said, adopt me.

Oh my life is Brooks.

Anyway, is that he needs adoption to.

We need? I mean, it's another story. But I went through the care system, you know, so like I was already looking for a good parent when I was younger. Not anymore. That's right. Well, that's all we have time for today. It's been such a pleasure having Jonas Stewart on. Thanks for listening to First things first, if you love what you hear, leave us a little rating and a little of you.

And if you want us to cover anything on the pod, reach out via our socials. My handle is at Brooke Duplin and Maddie's handle is at It's Maddie Mills and you can find Janna.

At Jana Stuart Vick.

There you go, see you guys later. Bye,