a statement by Swan Valley and Eastern Regions Slow Food

The Slow Food Australia acknowledges the upcoming The Voice referendum and the difficult political scenario. Therefore, we are not here to suggest our members take a specific position in the decision-making process, but we are here to strongly support our indigenous communities and the evolution of an Australian society that includes our First Nations people rather than marginalising.

Slow Food in Australia supports the rights of Indigenous Peoples and acknowledges the importance of their culture, land management and food systems.

Supporting Indigenous Communities and their traditional food systems means preserving the world’s biodiversity. Slow Food believes that defending biodiversity also means defending cultural diversity.

The survival of Indigenous people all around the world is proof of the resilience of these traditional societies held together by their identity – their cultures, languages and traditions are linked to geographical areas and the historical links with the environment that they inhabit and depend on.  Indigenous peoples’ communities are not only guardians of biodiversity but also custodians of traditional knowledge and foods. Their livelihoods and food cultures are now under threat from land grabbing, violation of their rights, climate change and unsustainable agricultural practices.

Indigenous peoples are fighting against land and water grabbing, cultural erosion, social discrimination and economic marginalization. Slow Food confronts these issues by promoting Indigenous food systems that are good, clean and fair.

Slow Food collaborates with indigenous communities on various projects, such as promoting indigenous food products, supporting local food markets, and advocating for indigenous food sovereignty.

Carlo Petrini, the founder of Slow Food, said that: “recognising Indigenous peoples also means decolonizing our thinking: we need to free our spirit from any idea of domination, the power of money and greed. We need to shift gears by recognising that Indigenous peoples hold the key to a more sustainable approach to life. For this is where the answer of the planet lies, where through democracy, the participation of all for the common good, is activated”. He also said that “we need to make sure that governments recognise Indigenous peoples’ entitlements to – and the central importance of – their rights, especially in the countries in which they live. Only by respecting diversity and traditional knowledge we can truly create a better future in which no one is left behind”