In spite of the evidence, in spite of clear and impassioned pleas from Aboriginal People, the Australian Museum (AM) have now firmly recommitted to their disastrous Grandmother Tree farce.

I just got off the phone with Ms Claire Vince, Media Advisor to the AM. When last we spoke Ms Vince assured me she was handling my complaints seriously, and would get back to me with a response and steps towards a resolution.

Today however it hadn’t occurred to Ms Vince, or the AM to bother following through on even these most basic respectful standards. Ms Vince reluctantly informed me that their planned NAIDOC event is going ahead unchanged, despite my and my mob’s concerns, and the concerns of many, many others.

The AM is standing by their decision to promote non-Aboriginal people pretending to understand/honour/represent a Culture they are actively undermining through their actions, to children and families during NAIDOC week.

Ms Vince had nothing more to say on the matter – she only had the prepared statement that the event in its current form would still go ahead.

No change to the Australian Museum falsely portraying Amanda Reynolds as Guringai, Yuin, and Sydney Traditional Owner Amanda Jane Reynolds – demonstrably false claims that have been explained to Australian Museum Staff repeatedly, with evidence and further patient explanation.

No change to the slap-dash special pleading that the ridiculous GuriNgai invention of the Grandmother Tree (singular) is actually a generic reference to all Sydney Red Gums (plural).

No change to the representation of the inauthentic, recent  South Australian concept of ‘Grandmother Lore’ being falsely presented as authentic to Aboriginal People, Culture, or of the wider Sydney area.

No change to presenting transparently bogus claims as not only Authentic to Aboriginal People, not only Authentic to the local region, but also as appropriate for NAIDOC week.

No change to advertising Aboriginal Identity Fraud and the genocide of our ways as ‘family friendly.’

No comment was offered in relation to my disrespectful dismissal by Australian Museum Director Laura Mcbride.

Why does the Australian Museum go through the elaborate, time-wasting pantomime of pretending they are open to community feedback and engagement?

Is it because it helps them feel better about being directly complicit in the harms they do to us, for money, as entertainment?

It must make it easier for them to assume someone else with the Museum is actually handling things, and it will all work out – but when it actually come down to it there is zero responsibility taken, zero accountability, and the Aboriginal communities impacted by the AM are dismissed like dogs.