OVERVIEW: THE CHALLENGE OF GOING FORWARD

Sydney 28 May 2000: Some of the 250,000 Australians who joined the People's Walk for Reconciliation across the Harbour Bridge as part of Corroboree 2000.

Photo: Craig Beifus, Palm Studios Photography

On 15 September 2000, Cathy Freeman held aloft the Olympic Torch as she stood in a ring of fire on a pool of water, before the eyes of the world. As the Olympic cauldron rose around her, the symbolism was not simply that of the Olympic Games, which belong to all the world's people. The symbol was a national one too: in the year 2000 an Aboriginal person held centre stage at an event of immense national and international significance.

This was a fitting end to the Opening Ceremony of the Sydney 2000 Olympics, which had featured Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and their ancient and continuing cultures, alongside the many cultures which have become part of Australia's rich heritage since British colonisation.

A century earlier, in the year 1900, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples were ignored and excluded as Australians prepared for Federation - the foundation of our nation. In the pageantry marking the inauguration of Federation at Centennial Park, Sydney, on 1 January 1901, Aboriginal peoples and Torres Strait Islanders were given no formal part.

Those Australians who take our hands are those that dare dream of an Australia that could be. ...Will you take our hand? Will you dare to share our dream? Dr Evelyn Scott, Chairperson, Council for Aboriginal Reconciliation (2000)

One hundred years on, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples have not disappeared; they have survived against the odds, preserving their cultures and their will to gain their rights as citizens and as Indigenous peoples.

While other Australians may congratulate themselves on the progress of a century, they might also pause to reflect on why it took so long to get this far. (And why, in fact, most of that progress took place over the last third of the century.) They might also wonder whether it will take another century before Australia can proclaim the true reconciliation which so many of its citizens desire and take as the yardstick of a mature and harmonious nation.

For, as the year 2000 ends, the stark reality remains: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples still suffer the greatest disadvantage of any group in Australian society. Compared to other Australians, they experience poorer health, shorter life expectancy, more limited educational and employment opportunities, and greater imprisonment. Economic disadvantage restricts life choices and is a major obstacle to self-determination. Prejudice still confronts Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples in their everyday lives. For these reasons, many remain sceptical about reconciliation. Divisions, differing views about reconciliation, and difficult issues remain to be addressed.

Yet, as both the Opening and Closing ceremonies of the Olympics symbolised, the vision of reconciliation has struck a chord within Australian society. Public awareness of the issues of reconciliation has increased substantially and racist behaviour is much less tolerated.

This is the hope for the future. The challenge for the future is to translate that goodwill into tangible outcomes which will make a difference to the lives and circumstances of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.

The year for reconciliation

The year 2000 has truly been the year for reconciliation, though not yet the year of reconciliation. In this year:

• The Council for Aboriginal Reconciliation handed two reconciliation documents to the largest gathering of Australian leaders on 27 May , following the most extensive and open consultation process about a matter of public policy.
• About a quarter of a million people took part in a People's Walk for Reconciliation across the Sydney Harbour Bridge on 28 May in one of the largest public demonstrations for a cause ever seen in this country.
• Hundreds of thousands more people joined bridge walks and related events on the same day and in the following weeks in cities and towns around the country.
• Similar numbers are expected to take part in walks in Melbourne and Perth on 3 December .
• Reconciliation emerged as a central theme of Sydney 2000, from the moment Aboriginal athlete Nova Peris-Kneebone received the Olympic flame at Uluru in June through to the Opening Ceremony, Cathy Freeman lighting the cauldron, the whole nation stopping to watch Cathy win her 400 metres race, IOC President Juan Antonio Samaranch's recognition of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, and the closing ceremonies of both the Olympics and Paralympics.
• Thousands of people - Aboriginal, Torres Strait Islander and other Australians - from all walks of life and across a wide spectrum of views, joined together on 25 October to mourn the passing and celebrate the life of one of Australia's best-known Aboriginal activists and advocates, Kumantjayi (Dr Charles Nelson) Perkins.

We may differ and debate about the best way of achieving reconciliation but I think all Australians are united in a determination to achieve it. The Hon John Howard, Prime Minister (1998)

These events did not take place in a vacuum. They come at the end of a formal process of reconciliation established by the national Parliament and overseen by the Council for Aboriginal Reconciliation. The Council does not believe that these events could have taken place without that decision of the Parliament, the work of the Council, and above all the dedication, commitment and activity of all those who have worked for reconciliation 'on the ground'.

Australians can take pride from the strides taken during the 1990s - our 'decade of reconciliation' - leading up to the symbolic and moving events of this year. The challenge before us is to continue our journey along the reconciliation road to its intended destination: true and lasting reconciliation between Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and the wider Australian community. As expressed in the vision of the Council, that destination is:

A united Australia which respects this land of ours; values the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander heritage; and provides justice and equity for all.

This final report of the Council for Aboriginal Reconciliation to the Prime Minister and the Commonwealth Parliament sets out the achievements of that decade, and the things which the Council believes need to be done to reach a future year of reconciliation.

A report for all Australians

The report provides an account not only to the Commonwealth Parliament which established the Council, but also to the nation as a whole - to all Australians, since every one of us has an interest and a stake in renewing our nation.

The report records not only the work of the Council itself but also the efforts and commitments of tens of thousands of Australians from the Aboriginal, Torres Strait Islander and wider communities. They are people in all levels of government, in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander organisations and communities, in peak bodies and representative institutions, in all sections of our society, and in regions, voluntary organisations and groups across the country.

Australia can achieve reconciliation because of the nobility of spirit and generosity of forgiveness of the Aboriginal people and because of the many Australians who also desire a united Australia, at peace with itself and its peoples. Sir Gustav Nossal, Deputy Chairperson, Council for Aboriginal Reconciliation (1998)

Together, these countless thousands represent our vibrant, diverse society. Together, they have taken reconciliation into their hearts and minds and have sought to make it a living reality in their communities, workplaces and organisations. Together, they have taken many steps along the reconciliation road. Together, they have been extraordinarily successful in taking most of the nation with them on what has been and will be a long journey. And together, they know that many steps remain to be taken towards that journey's destination.

Structure of the report

Our report is called Reconciliation: Australia's Challenge. In keeping with that title, we have structured the report around three sections:

1. The challenge of the past

2. Meeting the challenge

3. The challenge ahead

These reflect the truth of our nation's journey towards reconciliation:

1. The Parliament's visionary and united decision to establish the Council and a nine-year formal reconciliation process was based on a courageous recognition that the legacies of our history since British colonisation in 1788 had never been fully and honestly faced, still less dealt with. The past not dealt with remained as a troubling shadow on the present: a challenge to the spiritual wellbeing and self-image of the nation.

2. The 1990s - the 'decade of reconciliation' - saw the formal process of reconciliation move from the periphery to the heart of the national political and social agenda, as Australians in all walks of life worked with the Council and alongside it to meet the challenge, change things, and lay the basis for a better future.

3. While the reconciliation decade has witnessed many extraordinary achievements and changes, much remains to be done. We as a nation should not rest on our laurels with the job part done - we must forge ahead to tackle the tasks which remain. The measure of our success in achieving true and lasting reconciliation will be that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples experience a practical realisation of their rights as both Australian citizens and as Indigenous peoples - the nation's first peoples.

The first section of our report contains 'a brief look at a long history' - the history which made necessary the reconciliation process. It provides the context in which the Parliament made its decision in 1991 to establish the Council and open up a formal process of reconciliation. This outline does not try to cover all the details; rather, it outlines some of the events and aspects of our past which were and remain a challenge to the present [Chapter 1].

Reconciliation is about practical reconciliation and our rights. They are part of each other. Terry Waia, Chairman Torres Strait Regional Authority (2000)

The second section is the bulk of the report, covering the many aspects of the Council's work as it guided and oversaw the formal reconciliation process according to the brief set out by the Parliament in the Council for Aboriginal Act 1991. In seven chapters we cover:

• the formation of the Council, how it planned to meet the challenge of the broad mandate which the Parliament gave it, and its general approach to carrying out that mandate [Chapter 2];
• the detailed work of the Council and of many other Australians in implementing the Council's strategic plans and policy decisions over the nine years of the Council's life [Chapters 3 to 7]; and
• the outcomes of that decade of work [Chapter 8].

The third section looks to the future and the work which remains. It:

• draws conclusions from our work and experience which may help the ongoing reconciliation process [Chapter 9]; and
• makes six recommendations for how that process might best continue [Chapter 10].

Five appendices contain information and materials referred to in the main body of the report, including a record of commitments made by governments, organisations and groups [Appendix 2].

The second section is detailed in parts, yet it by no means covers all the initiatives, projects, events and activities of the Council, let alone of the wider people's movement for reconciliation. As befits a report on such an important issue and body of work, the Council has tried to provide a reasonably comprehensive coverage of the main aspects of what has been and remains a very complex process.

Chapters 3 to 7 are divided according to the main elements of the Council's work: Communications, Consultation, Partnerships, People's Movement, and Documents. Each chapter begins with a summary of the relevant part of the Act where the Parliament set out the Council's object and functions.

Among other things, our report reflects the fact that reconciliation must and does take place on many levels and in many forms. It relies on people, communities, organisations and governments doing things which suit their circumstances, needs and possibilities. There is no single blueprint for reconciliation, no one policy or action to make it happen, no magic formula to ensure success.

Never before in my entire life did I feel so freely proud to be an Aboriginal than I did as I watched the Corroboree 2000 celebrations in Sydney. Billy Gordon, faculty of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies, Cairns (2000)

Our common future

The Council was established with the hope that real progress would be made by the centenary of Federation when the Council would cease to exist.

The formal reconciliation process will conclude as dawn breaks on the first of the centenary celebrations at Uluru in the heart of the continent. From Uluru, a group of Arrernte people - representing one of oldest living cultures on earth - will launch Federation Day celebrations across Australia. The organisers of the event hope that it will mark 'a new dawn, a new century, a new millennium and just perhaps ...a new beginning.'

As the many different commitments outlined in this report show, there is a strong desire within the Australian community to make amends for the past, to recognise and value the unique status of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, and to work towards a future where all Australians enjoy their rights, accept their responsibilities, and have the opportunity to achieve their full potential.

This report examines the extent to which these goals have been realised and what else we must do to achieve them.