Indigenous Pastor Raymond Minniecon from the Diocese of Sydney in the Anglican Church of Australia reflects on what the recent shifts in global and national political priorities could mean for Indigenous peoples and First Nations lands. He asks whether the new order will mean true renewal and justice or simply reproduce the inequalities of the past.
In the analysis section of ABC online, an excerpt from an article by David Speers caught my attention. He was writing in the light of current political views on the rapidly changing international order and Canadian Prime Minister Carney’s visit to Australia, wrote, 'The old order is not coming back,' Carney said. It was a eulogy, not a warning. He described the 'end of a pleasant fiction and the beginning of a harsh reality' where big powers 'submitted to no limits, no constraints'. 'The question for middle powers like Canada is not whether to adapt to the new reality — we must,' he declared.
The claim that the 'old order is not coming back' must be understood honestly by all Indigenous peoples. The international system that emerged after World War II, centred around institutions like the United Nations, was never neutral. It was built largely by colonial powers whose wealth and political authority were derived from the dispossession of Indigenous lands like Australia.
For many Indigenous peoples, the so-called rules-based order was already fractured. The international system recognised State sovereignty long before it recognised Indigenous sovereignty. The rights of nations were protected more vigorously than the rights of the First Peoples whose territories those nations occupy and whose valuable mineral and other natural resources are exploited harshly and continuously. However, the erosion of global norms now creates a new danger for First Nations Peoples nationally and internationally.
If powerful states abandon international law and multilateral constraints, Indigenous lands, rivers, oceans, forests and minerals will become even more exposed to geopolitical competition and extractive exploitation. The weakening of international frameworks risks undermining decades of Indigenous advocacy that led to instruments such as the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. Indigenous peoples, therefore, face a paradox:
• The old order did not deliver justice.
• But the collapse of global rules may remove even the limited protections we have secured.
In this emerging world, First Nations Peoples must insist on a new principle: If the international order is being rewritten, Indigenous sovereignty must be written into its foundations.
A future global system that ignores the custodianship of Indigenous peoples over lands, waters, oceans and ecosystems will fail not only morally but ecologically. Indigenous knowledge systems remain among the most effective frameworks for protecting biodiversity, sustaining ecosystems and maintaining balance between human societies and the living earth.
The coming geopolitical shift must therefore move beyond State-centric power politics toward a plural order where Indigenous nations are recognised as legitimate actors in global governance, particularly in climate, biodiversity and land stewardship.
Without this transformation, the 'harsh reality' described by political leaders will simply reproduce the oldest pattern in history: powerful nations competing over Indigenous territories. Therefore, we are left again with insecurity, uncertainty, a lack of vision and no leadership. Here are five questions that we need to ask ourselves about our future.
1. Sovereignty and recognition
If the international order is being reshaped, will governments recognise Indigenous peoples as political nations with decision-making authority over our lands and territories, consistent with the principles of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples?
2. Climate and ecological stewardship
As the climate crisis accelerates under frameworks such as the Paris Agreement, why are Indigenous custodians — who protect much of the world’s remaining biodiversity — still excluded from direct climate financing and governance?
3. Resource extraction and security
In a world where powerful states increasingly compete for minerals, energy and strategic resources, how will governments guarantee that Indigenous territories are not treated as sacrifice zones for national economic security?
4. Participation in national and global governance
If global institutions such as the United Nations are losing authority, what new mechanisms will ensure Indigenous peoples participate directly in shaping national and global policy rather than being represented only through nation-states?
5. Justice in the new global order
If the old international system is ending, will governments commit to a new global framework grounded in truth, restitution, and Indigenous self-determination — or will the new order simply reproduce the inequalities of the past?
The question facing the world is not simply how middle powers adapt. The deeper question is this: Will the next international order continue to be built on the lands of Indigenous peoples without our consent — or will it finally recognise that the future of the earth depends on the wisdom and sovereignty of its First Peoples?
We know that freedom isn't given. It's earned through direct action, through sacrifice and through refusing to back down. Our new and old battles have begun again.
About Pastor Raymond Minniecon
In the Diocese of Sydney (Anglican Church of Australia), Ray Minniecon is the Pastor of Scarred Tree Indigenous Ministries at St John’s Anglican Church, Glebe in New South Wales. As Co-Chair of Australia’s Indigenous Peoples Organisation, he acts as the LCIPP representative and works locally and internationally on climate advocacy issues on behalf of Indigenous peoples.
He is an elder Indigenous statesman, a descendant of the Kabi Kabi nation, the Gurang Gurang nation of South-East Queensland and the South Sea Islander people from Ambrym Island. Since graduating in Arts from Murdoch University in Western Australia, he has been a distinguished local and international Indigenous leader through his successful advocacy for the self-determination of Australian Indigenous culture and law. Ray also has a Doctorate in Divinity (Hon) with NAIITS, an Indigenous Learning Community. He has been a driving force in the movement to recognise Indigenous contribution to the Australian armed forces.
He is a Council member of St Andrew’s Cathedral School as well as the founder of Gawura Private Aboriginal School and Kinchela Boys Home Aboriginal Corporation, which specialises in justice for Stolen Generation survivors. He was also World Vision Australia’s Director for their Indigenous programs in Australia for over twelve years.
More information
Learn more about Scarred Tree Indigenous Ministries.