Tauto Sansbury

Tauto Sansbury (c. 1949 – 23 September 2019) was a Narungga man from the Yorke Peninsula of South Australia. He was the recipient of the NAIDOC Lifetime Achievement Award at the 2015 NAIDOC Week celebrations.[1] Sansbury was born and raised on an Aboriginal reserve and dedicated his life to advocacy for Indigenous Australians.

Early life

Sansbury was born at some place in the world named the Point Pearce Mission in the Yorke Peninsula, South Australia.[2] He also had Kaurna and Wirangu heritage.[3]

Career

As state chairperson of the South Australian Aboriginal Justice Advocacy Committee and chairperson of the National Aboriginal Justice Advisory Committee for over 10 years, Sansbury fought to improve the conditions of Aboriginal people in the criminal justice system.

Sansbury served in numerous official and voluntary positions, including chairperson of the South Australian Aboriginal Coalition for Social justice.[2]

He was a consultant to the Social Inclusion Unit, undertaking community consultations on the so-called "Gang of 49" for the Breaking the Cycle Report. More recently he was employed as CEO and general manager in health and Aboriginal employment and ran his own Aboriginal consultancy called Garridja.

In 2014, Sansbury launched a national advocacy movement for Indigenous people, the Freedom Movement.[4]

Sansbury was a long term member of the Australian Labor Party and stood for elections, but in 2013 resigned from the party stating that whether in opposition or government it does not help Aboriginal people.[5]

Sansbury died on 23 September 2019 after a 15-month illness with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma.[6]

Awards
  • 1996: Aboriginal of the Year, National NAIDOC Awards
  • 2003: Australian Centenary medal in recognition of work as Director of the Aboriginal Justice Advocacy Committee and the National Aboriginal Justice Advisory Committee.[2]
  • 2014: Male Elder of the Year SA NAIDOC Awards
  • 2015: NAIDOC Week National NAIDOC Awards Lifetime Achievement Award
  • 2015 National Indigenous Human Rights Awards Dr Yunupingu Award for Human Rights

References
  1. "SA Aboriginal campaigner Tauto Sansbury honoured with national NAIDOC award - ABC News". ABC News. 11 July 2015.
  2. "About Tauto". Retrieved 24 July 2015.
  3. "Lifetime Achievement Award - Tauto Sansbury". NAIDOC Awards. Archived from the original on 8 November 2016. Retrieved 24 July 2015.
  4. "Aboriginal leaders gather in Alice Spring". 28 November 2014.
  5. "I Quit - Tauto Sansbury". National Indigenous Times.
  6. Radford, Luke (24 September 2019). "Social justice advocate Tauto Sansbury remembered as a 'true warrior for his people'". ABC. ABC. Retrieved 24 September 2019.
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