GATHERING STRENGTH: S1E1 - Healing

First Nations leaders reflect on the fight for human rights in the face of setbacks. They say it’s time to gather strength and healing is an integral part of moving forward towards self-determination.

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Sometimes Mick Gooda feels like a turtle. There are days he wants to hide under his shell.

“When you work in jobs like mine, you've got to be optimistic. But there are times when I curl up in the foetal position under the doona because it gets too much,” says the former Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Justice Commissioner.

“I think all of us have those moments of doubt, but I figure it’s like a turtle, you’ve got to stick your head out and come back into the real world and get on with it.” Mick’s career has been dedicated to sticking his neck out and he’s not about to stop now.

In this Gathering Strength series, we go in search for answers from First Nations leaders about human rights, hope and healing.

Mick Gooda reflects on the Voice to Parliament referendum and has a message for mob about where we go next.

Traditional Owner and Cultural Custodian Gaja Kerry Charlton highlights ancestral language as a human right that’s key to self-determination and wellbeing.

Together their words are a powerful call to action for all those who acknowledge and champion the rights of Indigenous peoples. 

Thanks also to other community members featured in this episode including Thomas Mayo, Professor Chelsea Watego, Mundanara Bayles, Kobi Page, Joann Schmider, Dr Alicia Veasey, Mena Waller, Manny Williams along with Commissioners Katie Kiss, Natalie Lewis and Scott McDougall.

 

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Rights Made Real is a podcast from the Queensland Human Rights Commission.

This series, Gathering Strength, is based on interviews conducted during the Bandarran Marra’Gu summit in Queensland in 2025.

 

You can follow Queensland Human Rights Commission on Instagram or LinkedIn.

 

This series was produced by Deadset Studios: Host Solua Middleton, executive producer Kellie Riordan, supervising producer Rebecca Levingston, and producer/editors are Liam Riordan and Melissa May. Strategist is Ann Chesterman.

Theme music by Clay Cassar-Daley.

Thanks to the technical staff at the State Library of Queensland.

This podcast was recorded on the land of the Turrbal and Yuggera people. We acknowledge Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as the First Australians and Traditional Custodians of the land on which this show was made.

 

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Rights Made Real is a podcast from the Queensland Human Rights Commission.

The functions of the Queensland Human Rights Commission include promoting an understanding and acceptance, and public discussion, of human rights in Queensland and making information about human rights available to the community.

The content presented in this podcast is distributed by the Queensland Human Rights Commission as an information source only. The information may include the views or recommendations of other organisations or people, which are not necessarily the views of the Commission. The Queensland Human Rights Commission makes no statements, representations or warranties about the accuracy, currency or completeness of any information available in this podcast.