Jenny Munro facts for kids
Jenny Munro is a respected Wiradjuri elder and a strong voice for Indigenous Australians' rights. She has worked hard to help Aboriginal people get homes. She is famous for starting the Redfern Aboriginal Tent Embassy in Sydney. Jenny is also the sister of other well-known activists, Isabel Coe and Paul Coe.
She is also an active member of the Waterloo Public Housing Action Group.
Jenny Munro's Early Life
Jenny Munro was born to Les and Agnes Coe. Her parents were also activists who fought for Aboriginal land rights. She is the younger sister of activist Isabel Coe and her brother Paul Coe. She also had another sister and brother.
Jenny grew up on Erambie Mission, near the town of Cowra, New South Wales. In 1972, when she was young, her parents took her to the Aboriginal Tent Embassy in Canberra. They joined the protest there by sleeping in tents. When she was 17, Jenny moved to Redfern, a suburb in inner-Sydney.
In 1972, she met her husband, Lyall Munro Jnr, in Sydney. They both became founding members of the Aboriginal Housing Company (AHC). This company helps Aboriginal people find homes. Jenny and Lyall moved into an AHC house in Marrickville, Sydney. There, they raised their two children. Jenny also successfully completed an arts and law degree at the University of New South Wales.
In 1978, Jenny Munro started working as a trainee bookkeeper. This was at the Aboriginal Children's Services in Sydney. She later became the Administrator of the organisation. She was also chosen as chairperson of the Secretariat of National Aboriginal and Islander Child Care (SNAICC). Jenny was involved in many campaigns. These campaigns aimed to convince the New South Wales government to change how it dealt with Aboriginal issues. In the 1998 Australian federal election, she ran as an independent candidate for the electoral Division of Sydney.
The Redfern Aboriginal Tent Embassy
On May 26, 2014, Jenny Munro started the Redfern Aboriginal Tent Embassy. She did this to get back affordable homes for Aboriginal people. These homes were in an area known as The Block. The Embassy continued to stay at The Block, even after a disagreement with the Aboriginal Housing Company. The Housing Company had asked all the former Aboriginal residents to leave.
In February 2015, Mick Mundine, the chairman of the Aboriginal Housing Company, threatened to remove the protesters. These protesters were led by Jenny Munro. A major Sydney newspaper reported that the disagreement between the protesters and the Housing Company grew stronger in 2015. The matter even went to the Supreme Court for a decision. The State Attorney General was also told about the situation.
The Redfern Aboriginal Tent Embassy stayed for more than 400 days. After this long time, Jenny Munro announced a victory. The Federal Minister for Indigenous Affairs, Nigel Scullion, stepped in to help the Embassy. He helped find a peaceful solution between the Housing Company and the Embassy. Scullion promised $5 million of federal money for the site. This money was for building 62 affordable homes for Aboriginal people.
Honours
- National Indigenous Human Rights Awards - 2015 Eddie Mabo Award for Social Justice
