Camp Sovereignty

Australian protest movement

Camp Sovereignty is the name given to an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander protest movement established as part of the "Black GST" political movement. GST stands for ending genocide, acknowledging sovereignty and securing treaty. The camp has existed as two iterations, one in March 2006 and one in January 2024. On 12 March 2006, a camp was established and a ceremonial fire was lit at the Kings Domain Resting Place, a sacred burial ground for repatriated remains of Aboriginal people. This camp was also used to protest against the Commonwealth Games, referred to by the protesters as the "Stolenwealth Games" in reference to the negative treatment of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders by the Commonwealth. After the conclusion of the Commonwealth Games the central emphasis of the camp shifted towards the ceremonial fire. Robert Corowa, one of the leaders of the protest, argued that the fire was sacred because of the central place of fire in Aboriginal traditions and ceremony. Under legal threat and the protest of over 100 people it was eventually quenched on 10 May 2006. However several sister fires have been lit in Redfern, Dandenong, and Framlingham to continue the protest. These events have also guided future Australian protests such as the Camp Freedom rally on the Gold Coast during the 2018 Commonwealth Games. The events of Camp Sovereignty have also been sourced as inspiration for future Indigenous activists and leaders from this notable and large scale protest. The 2024 camp has the additional goal of receiving ownership of the land around the memorial for use as a community space by the Indigenous community. Camp Sovereignty places emphasis on maximising media coverage nationally and internationally to so that Indigenous Australian civil rights issues would be understood by the global population. Further commentary through the form of podcasts and documentaries have continued to promote and acknowledge the impacts of the Camp Sovereignty movement.

Camp Sovereignty was borne from the Australian based ‘Black GST Movement’ which campaigns for ending genocide (G), acknowledging sovereignty (S), and making treaties (T) with Indigenous Australians. This movement originated in Melbourne in early 2005 by a group known as the Black GST political group. The Black GST group were initially small and began publicising their message throughout 2005 in anticipation of the 2006 Commonwealth Games. The Camp Sovereignty protest was organised by the Black GST group and led by various well known Indigenous activists including Marg Thorpe, Gary Foley and Robbie Thorpe, coordinating a predominantly young group of local Indigenous Australian activists. The group campaigns for increased recognition of injustices. Their stance is as follows: that Genocide refers to the mass slaughtering of Indigenous Australians in response to targeted massacres on Indigenous groups and the fact these have been overlooked in society. Aboriginal activist Robbie Thorpe has a weekly podcast where he shares his beliefs. In 2018, Thorpe dedicated an episode of this podcast to elaborate explicitly on the three components of Black GST. For example, one of Thorpe's arguments is their criticism of Australia as being the ‘single Commonwealth country which does not have an established treaty with their respective Indigenous peoples’. Protests such as the Brisbane 1982 Commonwealth Games protest and Sydney's 1988 Bicentennial Marches resemble the Camp Sovereignty protest and could be seen as inspiration for a successful protest at a major Australian sporting event.

The Black GST group is formed by a small group of activists in Melbourne early in 2005. The group consisted of various Indigenous and White activists with prominent figures including Robbie Thorpe, Marg Thorpe and Garry Foley. The group sought to publicise Indigenous civil rights issues and introduced their motives to end genocide, promote sovereignty and create treaties.

Prior to the 2006 Melbourne Commonwealth Games (15/3/2006 26/3/2006), the Black GST group encouraged people to attend their planned protest which would commence three days prior to the start of the Commonwealth Games. in reference to the Stolen Generations and what the GST were terming genocide. The group planned this initiative and invited activists throughout 2005 and early 2006 to best take advantage of the anticipated domestic and international media coverage. The group also pursued various events throughout the 2006 Commonwealth games including further protests and press events. Uncle Kev Buzzacott was also involved in organising the protest, doing welcomes and attending to the fire. Throughout February and early March 2006, the Black GST group and Victorian authorities engaged in frequent non conclusive discussion to ensure "the protest is manageable" and is reasonable. These discussions combined with the government rejecting a cultural camp in Victoria Park, Collingwood had led the Black GST group to become increasingly vocal. The 2006 Commonwealth Games ran from the 15th to 26 March. On 12 March, the Camp Sovereignty movement was launched and the Black GST political group established a camp in Kings Domain, Melbourne. The group lit a fire in the public park to represent their cultural traditions in the heart of the events as a form of Indigenous recognition at a Commonwealth event. The group publicised this idea of the "Stolenwealth Games", rebranding the motto of the games: “united by the moment” with “divided by history”. According to the Commonwealth Games Arrangements Act 2001 these zones are under special restrictions including strict bans on any form of protesting or demonstrating. The organisers selected this location to draw attention to the demonstration due to its historical importance and its proximity to the Queen's residence.

The focus of Camp Sovereignty was to maximise media coverage of Indigenous civil rights issues on a national and international scale to create reform. which show Camp Sovereignty to be a notable protest. The group attracted frequent headlines specifically from The Age which tracked the growth of Camp Sovereignty. During 2006, the coverage was constant with comments from various governments and the current Prime Minister, it was major at the time when there was uncertainty about when and how the camp would end. to focus on an image from Camp Sovereignty. The image analysed was taken by photographer Lisa Belair, depicting a shirtless Indigenous Australian man and a white police officer holding hands in the camp setting. The hosts attempt to dissect the events behind the image whether it was a moment of tension or more likely a possible connection and friendship amidst the tense situation. The ABC also invited Robbie Thorpe to comprehensively describe the events of Camp Sovereignty as a primary witness 13 years later. Additionally, the ABC collaborated with Australian academics Richard Broome and Kim Krugar to provide historical backing and context explaining Camp Sovereignty in the podcast. The podcast revisits the events of Camp Sovereignty and is evidence of continued media coverage and discussion of the Camp Sovereignty movement more than a decade later. Through continued podcasts, articles and further media coverage 15 years on from establishment, the Camp Sovereignty movement has continued to be referenced and acknowledged. The establishment of this camp was supported by Uncle Kev Buzzacott, Lidia Thorpe, and Uncle Robbie Thorpe, as well as dozens of activists and the Black Peoples Union. As of March 2024, the camp and ceremonial fire are still active. The movement maintains its previous goals, while also calling on the return of the land it occupies for community use by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. It also occurs contemporaneously with the Yoorrook Justice Commission, a formal truth telling process which Uncle Robbie Thorpe is formally contributing to in preparation for a Victorian state treaty with Aboriginal peoples. The camp has drawn supporters from migrant communities who support the movement in its protest against contemporary international genocide, including Australian involvement in the genocide in West Papua and the Palestinian genocide. The camp has seen support and visits from Members of the Victorian Parliament.