Reconciliation

Our vision is for a united Australia, which respects this land of ours; values the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander heritage; and provides justice and equality for all.
Council for Aboriginal Reconciliation

When the Royal Commission into Aboriginal Deaths in Custody was released in 1991, the extent of inequality between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal people was once again made clear. Aboriginal people as a group continued to have the poorest health in the country; the highest unemployment and the lowest education rates; Aboriginal people were also vastly over represented in the prison population. The final recommendation of the Royal Commission called on the federal government to establish a process to improve relations between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal Australians.

After lots of pressure from various community groups and individuals the federal government voted completely in support of the Council for Aboriginal Reconciliation Act. The Council immediately began working towards healing. The Council ran from 1991 until 2000 when it was formerly closed. From this time on the work of reconciliation was handed over to the community to continue. Groups and individual people have been asked to get involved and go on their own journey of healing.

The process of reconciliation focuses on recognizing the pain and suffering that has come out of 200 years of dispossession and inequality for indigenous Australians. For many non-Aboriginal people the idea of acknowledging the mistakes of the past is a difficult process. The response can often be "it's in the past - lets leave it there" or for the younger generation especially "why should I be sorry? It had nothing to do with me." The process of apology and rewriting histories is not about finger pointing or laying blame – it is about having a history that is honest and tells everyone's story. Whether we have anything to do with the past injustices is not the point – this is the legacy we are left with.

The process of healing 200 years worth of wounds will not happen with a quick fix solution. If we can acknowledge this legacy, accept it, then we can get involved, listen to each other and work to make changes.