The Council for Aboriginal ReconciliationAbout the Council for Aboriginal ReconciliationThe Council comprises 25 community leaders drawn from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities, the industries which have most impact on Aboriginal people and from business and other sectors. The Council calls on its fellow Australians to join together across this land and demonstrate a commitment to reconciliation through a people's movement. Through this action we are establishing a lasting foundation for reconciliation which will ensure that Australians can proudly celebrate the centenary of our nationhood in 2001, and continue working together to achieve the Council's vision of:
The Council's priorities for 1998-2000 focus on three key goals: Goal 1: Documents of ReconciliationAchieve recognition and respect for the unique position of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as the indigenous peoples of Australia through a national document of reconciliation and by acknowledgment within the Constitution of this country. Goal 2: Partnerships in ReconciliationGain the commitment of governments, business, peak organisations and community groups to form partnerships which will achieve social and economic equality for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. Goal 3: The People's Movement For ReconciliationEncourage and support the people's movement for reconciliation to achieve justice and equity for all Australians, to embrace the unique place of indigenous peoples in the life of the nation and to ensure that the work of reconciliation continues beyond the life of the Council. In its first three-year term the Council promoted public awareness and understanding of the reconciliation process. This focus shifted in the Council's second term towards encouraging Australians from all walks of life to help make reconciliation a reality. The Australian Reconciliation Convention held in Melbourne in mid-1997 was an important milestone during the second term and resulted in an overwhelming response from the Australian public. In its third and final term (1998-2000), the focus of the Council will be on supporting and maintaining this people's movement for reconciliation to ensure that the work of reconciliation continues beyond the life of the Council. The final year of the Council's term coincides with the Sydney 2000 Olympics. During this time, Australia will be subject to intense global interest. Attention will be given to the progress of relationships between indigenous peoples and the wider community.
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