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"THE IMPORTANCE OF RECONCILIATION FOR MULTICULTURALISM" SPEECH BY EVELYN SCOTT CHAIRPERSON
AT THE MULTICULTURAL EXTRAVAGANZA DINNER HOSTED BY THE ETHNIC COMMUNITIES COUNCIL OF LOGAN INC. LOGAN DIGGERS CLUB SATURDAY 7 OCTOBER 2000 Chairperson of the Ethnic Communities Council of Queensland, Nick Xynias, Chairperson of the Ethnic Communities Council of Logan, Robert Hernandez, Mayor of Logan, Councillor John Freeman, State Member for Woodridge, Mike Kaiser, Uncle Bob Anderson, Anthony Frangi Radio 4BC (second guest speaker), members of the ethnic and Indigenous communities. As we always do at the Council for Aboriginal Reconciliation, I would like to acknowledge that we are meeting on the land of the Toorbul language group of the Chepara Clan, the traditional owners of this land. I respect the continuing culture of the traditional owners and value the unique contribution they make to the life of the Logan region. Thank you for inviting me to share this evening with you and to speak about a subject that is so close to my heart, and the hearts of so many Australians. Reconciliation is truly one of the most important issues facing Australia today. It goes to the heart of our national identity and determines if we are ready to be a mature, reasoned people or a country that is not yet at peace with its shared history. Tonight I will discuss the relationship between reconciliation and multiculturalism. I will talk about issues that differentiate the two processes, as well as the common ideals they share. As it is the final year for the formal reconciliation process, I will also explain the Council for Aboriginal Reconciliation’s vision for the continuing reconciliation process and outline some ways that ethnic communities can help to make reconciliation a reality. Before I go on to those issues, I want to share my thoughts on a recent event that gave international recognition to reconciliation in Australia. I am, of course, referring to the Olympic Games in Sydney. Reconciliation emerged as a theme for Sydney Games from the moment Nova Peris-Kneebone received the Olympic flame at Uluru. Cathy’s lighting of the cauldron continued the theme, along with the many Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples represented in the ceremonies and surrounding activities. I believe that the opening and closing ceremonies of the Games were superb examples of respecting and valuing Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures. Performers from the wider community also showed their respect for Indigenous peoples through their performances some wearing the Aboriginal flag or the word "Sorry" emblazoned on their shirts. I was fortunate enough to be in the stadium watching as North-East Arnhem-Land band Yothu Yindi sang their famous song "Treaty" and young Indigenous dancers brought to life a combination of contemporary and traditional dance. The highlight of the Games for many Australians was Cathy Freeman’s win in the 400 metres. As she carried the Aboriginal and Australian flags on a victory lap after her win, millions of people around the world and Australia saw an Aboriginal woman proud of her Indigenous heritage as well as her country. Australia’s multiculturalism also gained significant coverage at the Games with many of our top athletes being new Australians like Tatiana Grigorieva, the silver medal-winning pole-vaulter. In a country that loves its sport, these people and performances show the value of reconciliation, Indigenous participation and multiculturalism. I only wish we had the opportunity to show off our beautiful diversity and unique culture more often and on such a grand scale! I know that the people of Logan are supportive of diversity and of reconciliation, and no doubt you watched those events with a similar reaction to mine. Ethnic communities have been pillars of the reconciliation process from the very beginning. Their support, I believe, stems from the fact that both Indigenous peoples and ethnic communities face racism and seek to conquer it. Reconciliation and multiculturalism are processes that ask us to accept differences and strive for equity. That said, reconciliation and multiculturalism must not be confused as being one and the same issue. Reconciliation is a nation-defining task. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples are the first Australians and we have unique rights arising from that fact. Until those Australians who came later recognise and respect the Indigenous peoples and work together to address the unfinished business left to us by history, this country will not be at peace. To clarify what the process involves, I will say that reconciliation is about: - healing the wounds of the past, - mending the heartbreak of the stolen generations, - recognising and celebrating the unique contribution of our Indigenous cultures to Australia's heritage, - coming to terms with the realities of the history we've shared since 1788, and - finding a way forward together to Council’s vision of "a united Australia which respects this land of ours, values its Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander heritage, and provides justice and equity for all". It seems to me that apart from the obvious common ground of being Australians, Indigenous communities and ethnic communities do have certain things in common, especially regarding the negatives that have confronted them. The early post-war migrants from Western Europe, for example, were confronted with a number of negatives that Indigenous peoples had been living with for a long time. Apart from the physical hardship, poor housing and income levels, those early migrants came up against the policy of assimilation. For them, and even more so for their children, assimilation meant a hard fight to fulfil their perfectly justifiable desire to maintain links with their cultural and linguistic heritage. It meant that in order to "get on" in post-war Australia, you had to conform to social standards that, for all their good points like "a fair go" and "mateship", were pretty much set in concrete by the established Anglo-Irish tradition. They were tough times for migrants, but let me put the policy of assimilation as an Indigenous person into some perspective. For Indigenous Australians, assimilation meant having children stolen from their families. The stolen children were the ones assimilated. Their mothers and fathers, uncles and grandmothers, stayed as they had been for a century before the word assimilation ever was raised to policy status. They were marginalised from the assimilated society. If they weren't being ignored they were being exploited - in the economic and social sense. There was no such thing as an award wage for an Aboriginal stockman, even though awards had been around for 50 years. And let me ask you to pause and reflect on one other aspect of "assimilation". The term "White Australia". There were about 300,000 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people living in this country at the time, yet the policy - and the country - were described as "White Australia". We know why it was called that. It was designed to keep out that second wave of migrants, who have since arrived and added so much more richness and diversity to our multicultural success story. But can you imagine how deeply offensive that term must have been to an Indigenous Australian? How it must have reinforced in the most painful way the long-held feeling that in the eyes of officialdom, Indigenous people just did not count? I've talked about assimilation and some of its effects merely as an example of the shared negative experiences of two very different groups. It's a sad thought that people who've lived here for more than fifty thousand years, and peoples who've lived here for less than 60 years, have shared experiences ranging from blatant racism, exploitation and isolation to social stereotyping and both public and private discrimination. Just one generation ago, things at last began to change for both Indigenous and migrant Australians. The 1967 referendum was the turning point for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. The more enlightened attitudes behind that vote would also lead to the end of "White Australia" and the beginnings of the great multicultural adventure. We also began to see the differences that define reconciliation as a separate issue from the achievement of multicultural unity. One such difference, a fundamental one, is the need to acknowledge the long history of devastation of the cultural identity of Indigenous peoples, through dispossession from their lands, separation from their kinfolk and suppression of their languages and ceremonies. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples lived here in harmony with the land and waters, with our own languages, our own systems of law, kinship and spirituality, for more than 50,000 years. We must acknowledge the tragic damage done to that heritage in just 200 short years. By owning the past, we can go forward together. Most Australians today tend to quickly call on terms like "Multicultural Australia" and "Unity in Diversity" when asked to think about our national identity. I think they're right to do so, but we must recognise that neither term will achieve its full meaning until we are nearing the end of that journey to reconciliation. Even as late as the 1980s, it seemed more urgent to make sure that multiculturalism was safely bedded down than to seek a new compact with Indigenous Australians. There is no bitterness in that remark; it's just an observation about what happened. In fact I know, and many other Indigenous leaders know, that while ethnic communities were pursuing their own legitimate goals, their leaders did not forget that behind it all there were some unique issues still to be resolved. That vital perspective shows up in the strong support for reconciliation among ethnic communities. We know that many of Australia's ethnic communities were among the first to join the people's movement for reconciliation. In 1996 Council asked the Federation of Ethnic Communities' Councils of Australia (FECCA) to do some research on reconciliation. FECCA found among ethnic communities high levels of understanding of the issues, and overwhelming support for the concept of reconciliation. Ethnic community forums were convened around the country in early 1997 in the lead-up to the Australian Reconciliation Convention. The forums overwhelmingly affirmed the special place of Indigenous Australians in our society, including by acknowledging their status as original owners of the land in formal documents of reconciliation. As you would know, Council has consulted widely and created two national reconciliation documents. They are the Roadmap for Reconciliation and the Declaration Towards Reconciliation. We at the Council believe these documents have tremendous potential to unite and uplift the nation, to help define a modern, mature identity for Australia. For the next few months, the Council will seek commitments from governments, businesses, organisations, communities and individuals to take some or all of the steps outlined in the Roadmap. Those of you who are interested in making positive steps in your own organisations can also use the Council’s Roadmap as a guide. I hope that communities such as Logan can embrace the Council documents and put them into practice. From the 1st of January 2001, the Council will no longer exist as the peak reconciliation body. From that date, a new, independent foundation called Reconciliation Australia will take over as the national focus for the ongoing reconciliation process. The people’s movement for reconciliation will continue to play a vital role in the process, and ethnic communities will no doubt continue to show leadership on the matter. Tonight, you have asked me explore why we must first have reconciliation if we are to truly recognise multiculturalism. Aborigines and Torres Strait Islanders are the first Australians. We have been here for more than 50,000 years. In one sense, everyone who came after us is a new Australian. Reconciliation requires all Australians to respect Indigenous cultures and help address the disadvantages Indigenous people have faced since new Australians started arriving 200 years ago. Only then are we a nation working together and appreciating our various cultures and contributions. Only then have we accepted our true diversity. Thank you.
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