Nana Owusu is joined on Baseline by Darumbal and South Sea Islander journalist, writer and academic Dr Amy McQuire, and Yuin lawyer and advocate Martin Hodgson, to discuss the ongoing crisis of the disappearance of First Nations people in Australia.

Amy and Martin break down why the disappearance of First Nations people is uniquely Australian and the result of Australia's colonial past and present, the ongoing genocide of First Nations people, and state-sanctioned violence.

They explain what a newsworthy disappearance looks like and the role of the mainstream media in the dehumanisation of disappeared First Nations people. They reflect on the Federal Government's inquiry into missing and murdered First Nations women and children, and share the importance of centring the lives of those who have been disappeared, the families who know and love them, and the communities they belong to.

“Disappearance is a political act, it’s a framework and it’s tied back to the settler colonial project. The whole purpose and aspiration of the continuing settler colony here is the continual disappearance of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples from this land.”

Amy and Martin are co-founders of The Disappeared Project, a First Nations-led organisation that is transforming how disappeared First Nations people are remembered and represented. They are also co-hosts of Curtain The Podcast. which interrogates the justice system and how it treats First Nations people.

Listen to Amy and Martin’s podcast Curtain The Podcast, which pulls back the blinds to shine a light on the darkest parts of our justice system.

Learn more about The Disappeared Project here. Check out Amy's indepenent Substack publication, Black Witness Media.