“The first astronomers, agriculturalists”: Greens demand urgent action on Indigenous IP policy

The Yes campaign for an Indigenous Voice to Parliament steps up efforts this week to make clear it’s from community, not Canberra. But that’s not the only thing in motion that will give Indigenous Australians an opportunity to correct the record on an origin story.

Greens Senator and First Nations spokesperson Dorinda Cox said Indigenous intellectual property (IP) “underpins it all”. She wants the government to commit to a two-year time frame for standalone legislation that frames and protects First Nations peoples as scientists and innovators — “the first astronomers in this country, the first agriculturalists”.

“I will talk to minister Burney specifically about how we can actually put a more certain time frame around this because every day that ticks by we are seeing the lack of protection that’s being afforded to Indigenous knowledges in this country,” Cox told Crikey.