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"RECONCILIATION: THE UNFINISHED BUSINESS speech by JACKIE HUGGINS MEMBER
at FECCA National Conference Multiculturalism and Harmony: Building a New Future Hosted by the Federation of Ethnic Communities' Councils of Australia Esplanade Hotel, Freemantle WA 11 November 2000 Thank you. FECCA Chairperson Mr. Randolph Alwis, Chair, Mr. Robert Isaacs, fellow presenter Mr. Peter Yu, Members of Parliament, State Agency and community representatives, ladies and gentlemen. I would like to acknowledge that we are holding this conference on the land of the Noongar people, the traditional owners of this land. I recognise the living culture of the Noongar people and the unique contribution they make to the life of the Freemantle region. Ladies and gentlemen, more than ever before, we must work together to reach the goal of reconciliation. At the end of this year, the Council for Aboriginal Reconciliation will cease to exist, and it will be the job of all Australians to continue the reconciliation process. When the Council was set up by federal Parliament in 1991, the Council for Aboriginal Reconciliation Act stated that it would be desirable to achieve reconciliation by the centenary of Federation. We at the Council know that, with only a couple of months to go, we cannot meet that deadline. But we know we have met its mandate. The Act asked the Council to make recommendations as to whether a document or documents for reconciliation would benefit the Australian community as a whole and if there is a benefit to make recommendations to the Minister on the nature of and content of, and manner of giving effect it, such a document or documents. Council has done more than that, it drafted the document and then held the largest consultation process with grassroots people and community leaders in this country. After this consultation, Council then deliberated carefully the content of the document and finally presented it to the nation at Corroboree 2000 in May this year. Reconciliation does not work to a strict timeline like other projects. It succeeds or fails in the hearts and minds of all Australians. Speaking as a member of a cross-cultural, cross-party body that has been working for 10 years for reconciliation, I confidently say that the three Council boards in that time, together we have made good headway. Our goal is for a fair and equitable society where Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and our cultures are respected and valued as the first peoples of this land and share in the nation's wealth. Today I will tell you that we can achieve reconciliation together. I will explain that we have a light to lead the way, and that all we need now is the commitment from each and every one of you. Reconciliation is a people's movement, ladies and gentlemen, and since the pivotal Corroboree 2000, that movement has been thriving. Never before has the nation witnesses a gathering of all our political leaders and the Governor-General in one place at one time at such an event. By their sheer presence they signalled to the nation that the matter of reconciliation is of national importance. The next day we witnessed the People's Walk for Reconciliation across the Sydney Harbour Bridge which was again one of the most significant mobilisations of people in our history. In Sydney, a river of people streamed for five hours across the Harbour Bridge. Numbers could have been as high as 300,000. People in Brisbane, Adelaide, Hobart, Canberra, Alice Springs and people in smaller centres like Moree brought together Indigenous and non-Indigenous people community leaders, families and other citizens at similar events. Never before have public gatherings illustrated so clearly the strength of people's opinion on a social issue. With their feet, hundreds of thousands of people voted for reconciliation. The overwhelming support of people around Australia gave the Council great heart, but it also brought home our sense of responsibility for ensuring reconciliation is a lasting movement. When the Council ceases to exist after December 31 this year, we know there will be unfinished reconciliation business. Outstanding matters such as an apology and addressing Indigenous disadvantage will not disappear with the end of the Council's life. That is why we have focussed on these matters in our reconciliation documents and in our final report to Parliament. To address the unfinished business, reconciliation must be part of everyday life in every community in Australia. It has to translate into practical commitments in homes, neighbourhoods, schools, workplaces, clubs, local authorities and in every field of human endeavour. It has to be backed by local and national leadership. As I mentioned before Council has written two national documents to help guide all Australians on the path to reconciliation. These documents represent a decade of work. The Declaration Towards Reconciliation is a symbolic statement whereas the Roadmap for Reconciliation sets out four practical strategies to advance reconciliation. Council ceremonially sent a set of these documents to each State and Territory, symbolising our desire for the documents to be supported and acted upon in all regions of our country. The documents are also circulating among all sectors of Australian society and people are working out how to relate, or commit, to them. These two documents are a call to action. Key elements of the documents include: * An acknowledgment of the truth of our shared history. This requires a range of educational initiatives in the areas of formal school, the training of professionals and in raising community awareness. * Greater government accountability. Governments provide most essential services, yet serious disadvantage remains for many Indigenous communities. All service providers must be held accountable through the setting of measurable targets and the public reporting of performance. * A legislative process to deal with unfinished business. The proposed framework legislation allows for negotiated outcomes on matters such as rights, self-determination, traditional law and constitutional reform. * The establishment of a representative national body called Reconciliation Australia so the people can now lead the way and help keep reconciliation in the national agenda. The Roadmap demonstrates clearly that reconciliation depends on us, as a nation, addressing the important outstanding issues. Such issues include the need for substantial improvements in health, education and employment statistics, a reduction in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander incarceration and one hopes as a result a reduction of deaths in custody, recognition of the place of customary law, the recognition of Indigenous rights, and the offer of a national apology in respect of the Stolen Generations. To give you a clearer picture of how our Strategies can address unfinished business, I will outline some background to and details of the National Strategy to Address Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Disadvantage. The history of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander disadvantage began with the dispossession of land and the displacement of people. Discrimination, the intergenerational effects of poverty and the loss of autonomy have fuelled it. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples often face prejudice when trying to rent a home, find employment, get service in shops and banks, and when doing the everyday things that most Australians take for granted. Disadvantage in one area increases the likelihood of disadvantage in other areas. For example, without study facilities at home, learning for many will be hard. Similarly, children with hearing loss from middle ear troubles or undernourished children will find education difficult. Poor sanitation affects health, as does poor or inappropriate housing. Career progression to middle and senior levels often requires tertiary education. Really, no matter what background we come from, being poor and unemployed statistically lowers self-esteem and increases illness, death and the likelihood of arrest and imprisonment, just as poor health and limited educational achievement affects employability. It's just so exasperating that this scenario is so common among the Indigenous population. Ultimately, all Australians benefit from a united effort to address Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander disadvantage. As Indigenous disadvantage is overcome, the economy grows and the need for government expenditure is decreased. At the same time, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples will be better placed to fulfil their cultural, social and economic aspirations. Some Indigenous communities have identified that taking responsibility in education and employment is an essential part of the way forward. In other communities, the importance of individual and family commitment to a healthy lifestyle has been emphasised. Just last month we released a full version of the strategy to adddress disadvantage. The Council has identified five critical areas where actions are necessary to address Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander disadvantage: * leadership at all levels; * building stronger communities and equal partnerships; * better service delivery; * accountability and benchmarking; and * appropriate funding arrangements. Let me share with you one of the examples in the strategy to address disadvantage. A large Indigenous community lives in the region surrounding a small country town. The town has a community centre which provides a number of services and facilities to the community, including vocational courses, computer facilities and business support, a meeting venue, and child care. However, the service may not be culturally appropriate and the local Indigenous community feels that their needs are not met by the community centre. Hence, they do not use the services provided by the centre. The first step in resolving this problem is undertaking an audit to identify what can be done to meet the needs of the local Indigenous community. This would involve the funding agencies and managers of the community centre coming together with the local Indigenous community and discussing the options and constraints, such as building a new centre for the Indigenous community, and making better use of the existing centre and the available resources. Better use of the existing centre could involve :
The National Strategy to Overcome Disadvantage, and all the other strategies, will be successful only if the agreed outcome targets are achieved. Where the performance has been less than desired, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, service providers and governments should sit down together, review what they have done and ask why they have not achieved the desired result. These discussions should lead to an agreement on new or improved actions to address disadvantage. Among other tasks for the remainder of its term, the Council will be seeking firm commitments to these strategies and to the Declaration from a range of key stakeholders, including governments, industry and peak bodies. In its final report to Parliament, which Council will hand over to the Federal Parliament in early December, the Council will set out its views about the means of giving effect to the proposals contained within the documents. We realise that not everyone may be ready to fully embrace all the proposals at this time, but Council hopes these documents will lead the way to a genuine and lasting reconciliation. Different people and organisations will express themselves in a way that is appropriate to their own circumstances. However, the desire of the Australian people is clear. People want reconciliation. From that example, I hope you can see that the unfinished business of reconciliation will be every Australian’s responsibility. Council can only try to light the way, it cannot give effect to all its recommendations. In our last month, the Council is keen to engender the people’s enthusiasm once again at end of year walks for reconciliation in Melbourne and Perth. Melbourne Corroboree 2000: Walk for Reconciliation, on Sunday 3 December promises to be an historic event for Victoria and Australia. Beyond the Bridge Walk in Perth on the same day will add to the symbolism, hopefully proving for the last time in the life of the Council that Australians across the nation support reconciliation. Council has also helped to establish an independent foundation called Reconciliation Australia that will provide national leadership for the reconciliation movement from 1 January 2001. This Foundation is part of the Council’s National Strategy to Sustain the Reconciliation Process. We hope that Reconciliation Australia will be funded and supported by all sectors of the Australian community. I am confident that Australians will eventually reach our goal of reconciliation. I hope that your organisations, agencies, parliaments, governments and communities will consider ways to put the Council’s Roadmap and Declaration into practice so that we can reach that goal. We may have unfinished business after Council ends on December 31, but Australians have shown they have the determination to see reconciliation through to its fruition. On behalf of the Council for Aboriginal Reconciliation, I thank ethnic communities across Australia for their ongoing and avid support of reconciliation. I encourage you to help us complete the journey we have started together. Thank you.
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