Interview of Bridget Cama by Freya Bennett
As January 26 approaches, a date that marks the beginning of invasion, dispossession and ongoing pain for First Nations peoples, we spoke with Bridget Cama, Youth Co‑Chair of the Uluru Dialogue. A Wiradjuri woman with deep connections to Country, Bridget reflects on the weight of this date, the power of young First Nations voices, and why structural change, not symbolic listening, remains urgent. From connection to Country and storytelling to the unfinished business of constitutional recognition, Bridget shares what meaningful change could look like for Australia, and what responsibility all of us carry beyond a single day.
Hi Bridget, Happy New Year, thank you so much for taking the time to answer our questions! First of all, how are you doing?
Hello! Thank you and Happy New Year! I am doing well. It’s always a busy start to the year, especially with the lead up to Jan 26.
Growing up in Lithgow and having connections to Wellington and the Cudgegong River, how have these places shaped your sense of identity as a Wiradjuri woman?
I feel super grateful to have grown up in the country and on Country. It didn’t come without its challenges growing up in a small country town or regionally. But I definitely appreciate growing up on those lands and waters more as I get older and now that I have my own children. We head back to our family home where I grew up in Lithgow regularly and my son loves being out in the bush. My little sister has some favourite spots too, like flat rock near Bathurst. For me, it’s the smell of the air and the sense of being able to breathe easier as you hit the mountains and know that you’re nearly home as you approach the plains. I love to put the car windows down and just breathe the air in. Like many First Nations people, I had to move away from Country. For me it was to pursue tertiary education and then work. I have now been living on beautiful Bidjigal country for over 10 years, where I have studied, worked and started my family. So I am also very grateful to the Bidjigal people and their traditional lands and waters. But being able to go home and be on Country and continue to visit our special places really does ground me. It gives me a greater sense of connection, perspective, belonging and purpose.
For many, January 26 is a day of mourning rather than celebration. What does the day mean to you personally, and how do you navigate that within your community?
January 26 is a date that means different things to different people. For many First Nations peoples, however, Jan 26 is a heavy reminder of the beginning of invasion and the dispossession, violence exclusion and the systemic inequality and disadvantage of First Nations peoples that followed. We continue to experience the consequences of these actions today in our communities and our country’s unfinished business remains unresolved. It’s very real for us and our communities in our everyday lives. This is why many First Nations people are of the position that January 26 is not a date to celebrate. That said, while an important consideration, the yearly “change the date” debate risks overshadowing the broader systemic issues that First Nations peoples and our Nation is facing, such as the gap that continues to exist between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australia, and importantly what change needs to happen to improve the lives of our people. We are still no closer to closing the gap.
As Co-Chair of the Uluru Youth Dialogue, how do you make sure the voices of young First Nations people are heard in conversations about Indigenous rights and recognition?
The Uluru Youth Dialogue is made up of young First Nations leaders from across the nation who work closely together to create spaces and platforms for young First Nations people to use their own voices to contribute to the conversations being had about Indigenous rights and issues. It’s our futures on the line and it’s important that our voices are heard, not spoken about without a seat at the table. This requires us to show up and keep going. We take every opportunity to contribute to conversations and forums. Our young people travel across the country and even internationally, including to the United Nations, to advocate for meaningful structural reform, meaningful recognition and participation and our rights. Our young people are smart, passionate and energetic. We are willing to roll up our sleeves and get the work done. In 2023, we were the only formal youth led campaign during the Voice Referendum and not only did we have a strong group of First Nations youth leaders advocating in support of the proposed reform, but also worked with non-Indigenous youth leaders through our Hands on Heart Youth Conference held in August of 2023. Working with youth allies continues to be a big part of our work moving forward. Young Australians want to see the reforms of the Uluru Statement achieved. We are committed to getting this done in our lifetime.
Working with the Uluru Dialogue and the Indigenous Law Centre, what changes have you seen in recent years in how Australia engages with First Nations voices?
Leading up to the 2023 Voice Referendum and post Referendum there has been greater acknowledgement of First Nations peoples in political rhetoric, with acknowledgements and references to “listening to First Nations voices” becoming a routine feature of speeches and policy announcements. However, these lines are often not backed up by action and function as empty gestures rather than commitments to shared decision-making. Governments continue to engage through tightly controlled processes and hand-picked individuals or bodies that are legible to bureaucracy but disconnected from communities on the ground. This has meant that while the appearance of inclusion has increased, genuine community-led decision-making has not. Too often, engagement is symbolic, time-limited or agenda-driven, rather than grounded in the authority of communities themselves. Meaningful change requires shifting power away from curated consultation and towards structures that allow First Nations peoples to choose our own representatives and exercise real influence over decisions that affect our lives. That is what was envisioned by the First Nations delegates of the Regional Dialogue process that led to the issuing of the Uluru Statement from the Heart in 2017, which carries a clear mandate. This is why structural reform that guarantees First Nations a say on matters affecting our communities remains the key priority and reform sought.
If we are talking about Australians more generally, one key element of the 2023 Referendum result was that 6.2 million Australians are walking with us towards meaningful constitutional recognition and a guaranteed say for First Nations peoples on the issues that affect us. This demonstrates a greater recognition for the need to take First Nations voices seriously, and how such a change would benefit all Australians.
What role does storytelling, language, or connection to Country play in your advocacy work, especially when working with younger generations?
For me, storytelling, language and connection to Country are inseparable from the Uluru Statement because that is how the Statement itself came into being. In the First Nations Regional Dialogues, delegates spoke from intimate experience of laws and policies imposed on them – policies that do not work, were designed without their input and continue to fail their people. People shared the frustration of having solutions grounded in community knowledge and lived experience, only to be ignored, sidelined or consulted after decisions had already been made. That shared experience of being powerless and voiceless shaped the mandate for Voice, Treaty and Truth. When I work with young Australians, grounding these reforms in those stories helps them understand that the Uluru Statement is not abstract policy, but a community-led response to generations of exclusion. For young First Nations peoples, it serves as an invitation for them to reclaim agency over their own futures.
What would meaningful change look like for First Nations peoples in Australia, both in policy and everyday life, and what steps do you think are most urgent right now?
As a Nation, we all must engage with these calls for constitutional reform, meaningful recognition and participation. The most urgent step is structural reform that requires governments to genuinely engage with and listen to First Nations voices who represent our communities and embed that advice into political decisions made about our lives. The law must guarantee that our voices are heard in decision making processes that affect our lives. This is a key democratic principle and also reflects our right to political participation and self-determination. This reform is critical to addressing systemic inequality and closing the gap across policy areas such as health, housing, justice and education and honouring commitments already made. Further, we still haven’t dealt with the unfinished business of this country – the lack of recognition and the ongoing exclusion of our people from its key founding document is part of that. To finally be positively recognised and belong is important.
Meaningful change is ultimately about a better, more equitable future for all Australians. In everyday life, meaningful change looks like respect and opportunity – the ability to belong and be recognised, to live without discrimination and to see First Nations peoples, cultures and perspectives celebrated. It means participating meaningfully in our democracy and thriving in our communities, rather than merely surviving.
The most urgent steps right now are accountability and follow-through. Governments need to move beyond rhetoric and deliver tangible outcomes, while the broader community has a role in staying informed and supporting First Nations led solutions and ideas.
In the lead-up to Invasion Day, what do you wish more Australians understood about this date, and how can they approach it with respect and awareness?
It would be great to see Australians approaching January 26 with openness to mature, meaningful conversations about what the date represents for communities and for our nation, rather than repeating the same toxic, polarising debate each year that only entrenches division. Approaching conversations around the date with respect means listening to First Nations experiences and using the moment to talk honestly about the systemic issues our country still needs to address – the laws, policies and structures that continue to produce disadvantages for First Nations peoples — rather than reducing it to culture-war debates about celebration versus protest. It’s important to understand that these conversations may be uncomfortable, but they are critical. Dealing with our unfinished business is essential for the nation. I think this would genuinely lead to a better understanding of what the date means for many First Nations people and Australians. It would also encourage us to ask what needs to change and what actions must be taken to address this.
Beyond January 26, meaningful progress requires sustained action and accountability. That includes supporting structural reform, staying informed, backing First Nations led initiatives and holding governments to their commitments. For individuals, it’s about continuing to build relationships at a community level, listening, learning and engaging year-round. Real change doesn’t happen on a single day, it occurs through consistent participation.
