Documents of ReconciliationDocuments of Reconciliation > Policy > Briefing Paper > Developing the ContentThe Council is the body appointed to steer this process, but it strongly believes that a wide range of stakeholders need to be consulted and involved, and that the public should be educated about the issues and invited to participate in the process. Major stakeholders to be consulted include:
Several other elements are proposed for inclusion in the process of developing a consensus on the content of the reconciliation documents. Council proposes to ask a range of relevant organisations and bodies to help promote discussion and understanding of a national document. Council also proposes to organise an extensive public awareness and communications campaign to promote documents of reconciliation, with the aim of ensuring that all Australians have the opportunity to participate at some level, either directly or indirectly, in the consultations. In the first half of 1999, information packages will be released throughout Australia to alert people to the formal consultation that will take place later. Council will pay particular attention to ensuring that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and people living in regional Australia are aware of the plans for a national document. From July 1999, Council will sponsor community meetings, probably including meetings in each of the 35 ATSIC regions, which will be attended by Council members. Council also wants to encourage people to hold their own local or sectoral meetings about the national documents. Participants will be invited to indicate whether they support the draft document, to offer comment on it and to indicate how they might demonstrate their commitment by undertaking specific actions. Council will develop information materials to assist bodies such as local reconciliation groups, supportive NGOs and committed sectors in running these meetings. Australians for Reconciliation Coordinators in each State and Territory will help Council to organise community meetings and consultations with key sectors. Council is seeking the assistance of State Reconciliation Committee members to play a leading role in helping to promote and facilitate community and sectoral discussion and support for documents of reconciliation. Council expects that there will be a fairly intense period of activity within this consultation process over a period of months during 1999, but encourages local, regional and sectoral meetings to continue right up to the Corroboree 2000. The Council believes that such a comprehensive round of consultation on content will ensure it gets the best possible advice, and will give greater force to Council's final recommendations to the government and the nation in the year 2000.
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