Isaiah Firebrace advocates for Aboriginal history classes in schools

By Anna McGuinness

Nov 25, 2021

Hope for change: Moama’s Isaiah Firebrace at Parliament House with his dad Wayne, brother Jamarrah, and MPs Linda Burney, Tanya Plibersek and Graham Perrett.

Yorta Yorta and Gunditjmara musician Isaiah Firebrace is using his voice for change, visiting Parliament House in Canberra on Wednesday to present a petition for Aboriginal history classes to be taught in Australian schools.

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Met on the lawn by members of parliament, the petition and its more than 290,000 signatures was tabled by Shadow Education Minister Tanya Plibersek.

Mr Firebrace started the online petition just over 12 months ago, in the hopes making Aboriginal history a compulsory part of the school curriculum would bring more recognition to First Nations culture.

“A lot of people don’t want to talk about the past because it’s a dark past and a hard past,” he said.

“For years it’s been brushed under the carpet and no-one’s wanted to talk about it.

“I feel that embracing it and moving on together, finding out the truth, could heal a lot of relationships between Indigenous and non-Indigenous people.”

He said his passion came from reflecting on his own experience at school and what he felt needed to be changed.

“I think in the long term it would give a lot more respect to the 60,000-year-old culture — it’s something we should be proud of,” he said.

“There has already been talks with the government and education minister about this subject so if my petition and the media and attention can push that even more then that’s great.

“There’s only so much I can do just as a musician but starting the conversation and making it relevant to everyone is really what I’m doing at the moment.”

Meeting MPs Linda Burney, Lydia Thorpe and Graham Perrett, Mr Firebrace said seeing people at their level supporting his vision was really positive.

From growing up in Echuca-Moama to breaking into the music industry on The Voice, Mr Firebrace said it had taken him a while to grow into the platform it gave him.

“So much has happened since I was a teenager but I just take it in my stride now,” he said.

“I feel like the last year or two, especially with COVID, I’ve been able to look at myself in a different perspective and take in everything I’ve done in the last few years and really just own it.

“For a while I was afraid to be confident in myself because I was worried people would think I was cocky or this or that, but I realised who I am and what I want to say.”