Reconciliation in Australia

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Reconciliation in Australia is a process which officially began in 1991, focused on the improvement of relations between the

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples of Australia and the rest of the population. The Council for Aboriginal Reconciliation (CAR), created by the government for a term of ten years, laid the foundations for the process, and created the peak body for implementation of reconciliation as a government policy, Reconciliation Australia
, in 2001.

Background

Guugu Yimithirr and James Cook

The first act of reconciliation between Indigenous Australians and non-Indigenous people followed Lieutenant James Cook's 1770 landing at the site of modern Cooktown. Cook and his crew had developed a friendly relationship with the local people, recording more than 130 words of their language. However, after the crew refused to share 12 green turtles which they had caught, thus violating local customs, the locals became angry. A Guugu Yimithirr elder stepped in, presenting Cook with a broken-tipped spear as a peace offering, thus preventing an escalation which could have ended in bloodshed. The event has been re-enacted every year since 1959 with the support and participation of many of the local Guugu Yimithirr people.[1][2]

Modern day

The term first entered the language of politics after the election of

Labor's campaign explained what the concept might mean for Australia:[4]

Another area of unresolved conflict involves the Aboriginal people of this country – the first Australians. As a group, they continue to experience the worst health, housing, employment, education, and the greatest poverty and despair. While this situation persists, we can never truly bring this country together.
Central to this question is the issue of land rights. A Labor government will not hesitate to use, where necessary, the constitutional powers of the

to provide for Aboriginal people to own the land which has for years been set aside for them.

Hawke's time in office brought a policy shift around Indigenous Australian self-determination and Indigenous land rights in Australia.[5]

The final report of the

land rights and a treaty. Another criticism was that the term implies that there was once a state of peaceful co-existence between settlers and Indigenous peoples which would be restored by re-conciliation.[3]

The concept

The concept of reconciliation includes both practical and symbolic features. It involves recognising and acknowledging that Indigenous peoples are the

traditional owners of the whole of Australia, and that past injustices that have led to present-day consequences for Indigenous peoples, as well as increasing understanding by non-Indigenous people of Aboriginal peoples' cultures and attachment to country and working to reduce racism in Australia. Practical matters include improving health, education and employment prospects for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.[7]

1991–2001: Council for Aboriginal Reconciliation

However, there was general support for the move towards reconciliation, and the Council for Aboriginal Reconciliation Act 1991 was passed on 2 September 1991,[8] to establish the Council for Aboriginal Reconciliation (CAR),[3] for a limited lifespan of 10 years.[9] The establishment of the council was an acknowledgement of past policies which had done harm to Aboriginal peoples,[7] and its purpose was to guide the process of reconciliation in the nation over the coming decade, which would end with the celebration of centenary since the Federation of Australia.[10] Its terms including addressing Aboriginal disadvantage in three key areas: employment, health and economic development, and CAR soon identified eight issues which were essential to the process of reconciliation:[7]

  • Understanding country
  • Improving relationships
  • Valuing cultures
  • Sharing history
  • Addressing disadvantage
  • Custody levels of Indigenous people
  • Aboriginal people controlling their own destiny
  • Formal documentation of the process

ATSIC, damaged cross-party agreement on reconciliation.[3]

CAR followed a "hearts and minds" awareness strategy during its existence, seeking to gain press coverage across all levels of media. It staged large events such as the Australian Reconciliation Convention in 1997, which was broadcast live on television, ran cross-cultural workshops for journalists, and produced social science research on community attitudes towards reconciliation. Its quarterly publication Walking Together and material such as badges and stickers were given to schools and local governments. It soon became a "people's movement" with hundreds of local community reconciliation groups founded across the country. Coordinators known as Australians for Reconciliation (AFR), appointed by CAR, promoted initiatives to help the movement. CAR members sought meetings with leaders, and conducted three major public consultation events and hundreds of meetings, evoking over 3,000 response forms from individuals.[3]

In 1995, the

Torres Strait Islander Flags were recognised.[12]

In 1997, the Australian Reconciliation Conference was held in Melbourne.[12]

In 1999, federal parliament passed a Motion of Reconciliation, as negotiated by Senator Aden Ridgeway and then prime minister John Howard, but it fell short of an apology and opinions on its effectiveness were divided.[13]

Corroboree 2000

"Corroboree 2000" was a two-day event at the Sydney Opera House held in CAR's final year of existence, taking place from 27 to 28 May 2000. On the first day, a meeting of dozens of Indigenous and non-Indigenous leaders at the Sydney Opera House[10] was again broadcast live on TV, and was covered by around 500 media outlets.[3] One issue loomed large: that of an apology by the Australian Government to its Indigenous peoples, and in particular the Stolen Generations, after the 1997 Bringing Them Home report had mapped the extent of and ongoing results of the government policy of assimilation in the past, which had included removing Indigenous children from their parents.[10]

The Australian Declaration Towards Reconciliation and the Roadmap to Reconciliation

handprints of all of the participating leaders, a highly symbolic act in Aboriginal traditions.[10]

Walk for Reconciliation

As part of Corroboree 2000, on 28 May 2000 over 250,000 people walked across the

memorial plaque was erected at the southern end of Sydney Harbour Bridge in 2004 to commemorate the occasion.[15]

Similar events took place around the country on the same day and in subsequent months.

Although the walks were organised by Aboriginal people, they were attended by Australians representing all sectors of society and ethnicities. The huge attendances showed that there was increasing public awareness of the need for reconciliation and for a national apology.[10]

CAR's final report

At the close of CAR's decade of existence, after noting that the biggest obstacles to reconciliation were entrenched disadvantage, discrimination and racism, it published a report containing six recommendations, relating to:[3]

Growth of public support

Australians for Native Title and Reconciliation (ANTaR), a mostly non-Indigenous organisation, was founded in 1997. With support from Australian Artists Against Racism, the "Sea of Hands" was created on the lawns in front of Parliament House, Canberra: 50,000 hands, symbolising support for Indigenous Australians against the Wik amendments.[3]

Social research showed that public support for the process of reconciliation had risen from 48% to 75–80% of the population over the decade of CAR's existence, although attitudes remained mixed on other issues, and among Indigenous people there was some scepticism that reconciliation could be of any practical value to improving their lives.[3]

Government response

Within a few years of the dissolution of CAR, the federal government was criticised for undermining the process of reconciliation by removing support structures and aiming to turn public support against reconciliation. It ignored the more controversial recommendations, such as Constitutional recognition of Indigenous Australians, recognition of Indigenous rights, and setting up structured negotiating processes, instead focusing on the practical aspects,[3] as seen in its Closing the Gap policy framework, which commenced in 2008.[19]

Reconciliation Australia

The peak body to oversee the continuing process of reconciliation,

BHP Foundation. Other funding comes from other corporate sponsors, private donors, and investments.[21] Reconciliation Australia's vision of the concept of reconciliation is based on "five inter-related dimensions,: race relations, equality and equity, unity, institutional integrity and historical acceptance".[22][23][24]

National Reconciliation Week

Major religious communities in Australia commenced the practice of a Week of Prayer for Reconciliation in 1993,

. [26]

National Sorry Day, on 26 May, remembers the anniversary of the day that the Bringing Them Home report was tabled in Parliament.[27]

The first Reconciliation Day as a public holiday was held in the Australian Capital Territory on 28 May 2018.[12]

21st century

The reconciliation process has been accepted into political discourse, and grassroots organisations such as ANTaR continue to play a part. The dual target of rights and practical measures is a message aimed not only at governments but also the corporate sector and all kinds of institutions, as well as ordinary members of the public. The interpretation of the concept continues to be debated, as well as its usefulness in making real improvements to the lives of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.[3]

Timeline

Kevin Rudd on screen in Federation Square, Melbourne, apologising to the stolen generations
Copy of the apology speech, Parliament House, Canberra

Significant moments and initiatives have included:[23][12]

See also

References

  1. ^ Kim, Sharnie; Stephen, Adam (19 June 2020). "Cooktown's Indigenous people help commemorate 250 years since Captain Cook's landing with re-enactment". ABC News. Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Archived from the original on 6 July 2020. Retrieved 18 August 2023.
  2. ^ Banks, Joseph (19 July 1770). "Banks's Journal: Daily Entries". National Library of Australia. Archived from the original on 21 May 2020. Retrieved 18 August 2023.
  3. ^
    JSTOR 24590504
    . Retrieved 4 October 2021.
  4. . Retrieved 8 October 2021.
  5. ISSN 2204-4787. Retrieved 9 October 2021. PDF
  6. ^ "Royal Commission into Aboriginal Deaths in Custody: Inquiry". The Age of Enquiry. La Trobe University. 13 January 2017. Retrieved 4 October 2021.
  7. ^ a b c d Korff, Jens (29 September 2021). "What you need to know about reconciliation". Creative Spirits. Retrieved 8 October 2021.
  8. ^ "Council for Aboriginal Reconciliation Act 1991, Incorporating all amendments by legislation made to 18 April 1994". Federal Register of Legislation. Australian Government. Retrieved 8 October 2021.
  9. ^ "Council for Aboriginal Reconciliation Act 1991 [as amended]". Federal Register of Legislation. Australian Government. 1 January 2001. Retrieved 4 October 2021. Note: This Act ceased to be in force on 1 January 2001...
  10. ^ a b c d e f g h "Walk for reconciliation". National Museum of Australia. 13 April 2018. Retrieved 4 October 2021.
  11. ^ "About us". Reconciliation Australia. Retrieved 4 October 2021.
  12. ^ a b c d e "Reconciliation Timeline" (PDF). Reconciliation Australia. Retrieved 8 October 2021.
  13. Thinking Faith
    . Retrieved 10 October 2021.
  14. .
  15. ^ a b "Reconciliation Walk". Monument Australia. Retrieved 8 October 2021.
  16. ^
    SBS News
    . Retrieved 4 October 2021.
  17. Reconciliation SA
    . Retrieved 8 October 2021.
  18. ^ a b "Walks for Reconciliation Learn More". Common Grace. Retrieved 8 October 2021.
  19. ^ "Closing the Gap: National Indigenous Health Equality Targets (2008)". Australian Human Rights Commission. 8 October 2021. Retrieved 10 January 2020.
  20. ^ Castan, Melissa; Arabena, Kerry (19 May 2016). "Indigenous reconciliation in Australia: still a bridge too far?". The Conversation. The Conversation Media Trust. Retrieved 4 October 2021.
  21. ^ Reconciliation Australia. Reconciliation Australia: Annual Review 2020–2021 (PDF).
  22. ^ "Reconciliation". Bringing Them Home. Retrieved 8 October 2021.
  23. ^ a b Reconciliation Australia (2021). 2021 State of reconciliation in Australia report: Moving from safe to brave: Summary report (PDF) (Report). Retrieved 8 October 2021.
  24. ^ "What is Reconciliation?". Reconciliation Australia. Retrieved 8 October 2021.
  25. ^ "Commemorating Mabo Day". Reconciliation Australia. 3 June 2020. Retrieved 9 October 2021.
  26. ^ "Reconciliation Week". Department of the Premier and Cabinet (South Australia). 16 April 2021. Retrieved 9 October 2021. Text may have been copied from this source, which is available under a Attribution 3.0 Australia (CC BY 3.0 AU) licence.
  27. ^ Beazley, Kim (25 May 2001). "Labor's Response To The Stolen Generation - Bringing Them Home Report". Retrieved 8 October 2021.
  28. ^ "Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples Recognition Bill 2012". Parliament of Australia. Retrieved 9 October 2021.
  29. ^ Menon, Praveen (13 October 2023). "Indigenous reconciliation at stake as Australia votes on the Voice". Reuters. Retrieved 20 October 2023.
  30. ^ Menon, Praveen; Jackson, Lewis; Cole, Wayne (14 October 2023). "Australia rejects Indigenous referendum in setback for reconciliation". Reuters. Retrieved 20 October 2023.

Further reading

External links