‘Always was Always will be Aboriginal Land’
Acknowledgement of Country
Australian South Sea Islanders – Port Jackson (ASSIPJ) recognise the traditional owners of the lands of which we operate from known as the Gadigal People who are one of twenty-nine clans of the Eora Nation in Sydney New South Wales, Australia.
Aboriginal groups in the Sydney area can be found HERE.
A detailed map depicting the locations of various tribes, languages and national indigenous groups was created by David R. Horton and can be viewed by clicking this LINK.
Australian South Sea Islanders have an evident kinship with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples as they were absorbed under the 1930s Aboriginal protection Act on missions, stations, plantations and reserves.
Our People:
Australian South Sea Islanders – Port Jackson represent the descendants of the Blackbirding trade that saw some 62,500 Pacific Islanders trafficked from the eighty islands of Vanuatu and Solomon’s to established sugar, maritime, pastoral, cotton and railways industries.
In 1847 NSW received the first 119 Sugar Slaves with the influx to Queensland between 1863-1908. Through community advocacy and support from the Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission the 1994 Commonwealth recognised Australian South Sea Islanders as ‘a distinct cultural group’.
Who Are We:
Australian South Sea Islanders – Port Jackson (ASSIPJ) is a vital Peak Body organisation that advocates for the recognition and inclusion of ASSI within the global narrative.
ASSIPJ employs culturally appropriate methods to engage Elders, leaders, youth, and the broader community, fostering relationships and understanding of our shared history. We embrace multiculturalism and actively engage with Pacific, Culturally and Linguistically Diverse (CALD) communities by promoting intercultural dialogue. This approach encourages collaboration that enriches and strengthens social cohesion.
Our kinship with First Nations Australians is rooted in a shared history of 1800s Blackbirding from the eighty islands of Vanuatu and Solomons which saw our people absorbed under the 1930s Aboriginal Protection Act, placed alongside Indigenous communities on missions, stations and plantations.
Since being elected as the official voice for ASSI in 2012, we strive for full participation at local, state, national, and global levels.
Our mission focuses on building cultural significance and supporting future generations through knowledge sharing and capacity building. We prioritise reconnection with our islands of origin and finding families in Australia through social justice platforms that foster meaningful partnerships in meeting the needs of ASSIs with mutual respect.
Our principal focus areas include leadership and innovation, education and engagement, cultural maintenance, economic sustainability, kinship, and identity.
