Symbolism and Substance in Aboriginal Reconciliation

(Draft of speech before presentation)
Sir Gustav Nossal
Address to The National Press Club, Canberra
26th April, 2000

It is a great pleasure to address the National Press Club on a subject of such importance, although I must admit it seems unusual to have this honour to deal with this subject rather than science, technology or medical research! It is important for you to know that my involvement in Aboriginal affairs is only two and a half years in duration, though I was to a small degree active prior to that in the specific area of Aboriginal health. I am therefore very much the new boy on the block and still on a fast learning curve.

Having taken on the task of Deputy Chairman of the Council for Aboriginal Reconciliation, the first thing to say is that it has been a true privilege and hugely enriching to meet so many people lovingly engaged in the search for reconciliation. This includes both Indigenous and non-Indigenous members of the Council, a significant number of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander leaders as well as supporters from many walks of life within the mainstream community.

Equally, it has been wonderful to visit a number of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities and to network with people "on the ground", in order to learn more about the realities of Indigenous life. I only wish that more Australians could have such an experience.

One of the problems is that most Australians have little contact with Indigenous people, and in the absence of direct contact it is easy to picture stereotypes rather than real people.

While the journey towards reconciliation is long and tortuous, we must remember that we have come a long way already, particularly in the last 33 years. The Council is nearing the end of a decade’s work, and within this relatively short time-frame, the topic has moved from being one commanding relatively little attention right into the mainstream of contemporary life, as witnessed by the intense media focus. Doubtless the controversial aspects of the subject have added to media interest, but nevertheless the difference from a decade ago is startling.

Two Faces of Reconciliation

From my perspective, reconciliation shows two faces, a symbolic and a practical. These can be separated for rhetorical and analytical purposes but are actually tightly intertwined, somewhat like the two faces of a coin – essentially inseparable. There is an important practical aspect, the poor state of Aboriginal health, the lower standard to which Indigenous peoples are educated, the limited employment opportunities, the frequently poor housing, the inadequate infrastructure in many remote communities. Few would disagree that we have to do better on this practical side. While substantial improvement will be difficult in practice, the principle is relatively straight-forward and few disagree with it. But there is also an equally important symbolic side.

Symbolic Aspects of Reconciliation

To understand the symbolic aspects of reconciliation, we must first understand the root causes of the present poor life situation of many Indigenous people. The present can only be understood by looking at the past, namely the dispossession, alienation and progressive loss of a previous lifestyle which is really no longer realistic within proximity of the dominant culture. The resultant loss of independence and self-respect in the case of many Indigenous people can easily lead to despair. It is absolutely essential that our community be educated to reveal these truths because if they are denied, a "blame the victim" attitude can easily develop. In particular, we must teach the realities of Aboriginal history, both the triumphs and the trials, in our schools.

It is also essential to recognise that injustices are not just things of the past, and that real residues of hurt persist, as do aspects of racism.

Therefore, the key words to this symbolic side of reconciliation are recognition and respect. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples wish to be recognised and respected as First Nation’s peoples, the first Australians, the original owners and custodians of traditional lands and waters. They wish a greater recognition of their rights. Mainstream Australians will be familiar with Native Title rights, although these are not really a special right but a legislated right – a right which has always existed but has only recently been recognised. Indigenous Australians wish respect and recognition for customary laws, traditions and beliefs. To them, their beliefs are just as precious as those of Christians, Jews or Moslems to their particular faiths. Indigenous peoples wish mainstream Australians to gain a greater appreciation of their spiritual affiliation with the land and their historic achievements in living in ecological balance with it while able to exercise their traditional lifestyles. They also wish a greater degree of self-determination, the right to manage Indigenous affairs within the overall framework of Australian law.

Within this overall symbolic landscape, an official apology from the Commonwealth Government for past injustices generally, but more particularly for the stolen generation, has come to have great significance. The motion of sincere regret passed by both houses of Parliament was definitely a step in the right direction, but many Aboriginal people feel that in the absence of a full and sincere apology, reconciliation cannot be complete. The Prime Minister has declared on a number of occasions that he will not issue such an apology on behalf of the Government, because of the issue of cross-generational guilt. The Council has therefore accepted that the apology will not be tendered in the near future. It is absolutely vital that the reconciliation journey continues nevertheless. In those circumstances, the correct place for the apology is under the heading of unfinished business.

Unfinished Business

While the Council was given a decade to pursue reconciliation, it was never envisaged that full reconciliation would emerge like a clap of thunder at a particular instant in time. Rather, it is hoped to move a significant distance down the pathway and to plan a strategic approach for the future. In particular, it is recognised that not all of the rights agenda will have been achieved by the 31st December, 2000. There will be a substantial workload of unfinished business. One avenue which the Council will be pursuing in conjunction with ATSIC will be the concept of a framework agreement, a specific piece of legislation which sets out a process whereby outstanding issues can be identified and progressed. In the longer term, it is the Council’s hope that the key principles of reconciliation and the status of the first Australians be embodied in the Constitution, but this could well be the work of many years.

While on the subject of rights, it is important to realise that there is a difference between the existence of rights and the enjoyment of rights. There are many examples of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people not being able to enjoy the human rights which they unequivocally possess, together with all other Australian citizens.

Recent Events

In the last month, there has been a storm of political debate and comment about Aboriginal affairs. This has centred on the well-known embarrassing semantics about the stolen generation in the Government paper, and, through a coincidence of timing, on the tragic death of a juvenile in detention through mandatory sentencing. Before commenting on these recent events, I believe it is important to say that reconciliation is not primarily about politics, let alone party politics. Reconciliation has to be a people’s movement. Reconciliation is a struggle for the hearts and minds of people – all 19 million Australians. The "rights" within this struggle include the right to be treated civilly in a shop; the right not to have a taxi drive straight past you if you are an Indigenous person at the head of the queue; the right when two school-leavers front up for a job interview with similar references from the same headmaster for the Aboriginal youngster truly to have the same chance of getting the job as the white youngster. These things can’t be legislated! That being said, it is precisely because of residues of racism that the Indigenous reaction to the recent political events was so strong. It is important for all Australians to be aware of the intensity of the hurt, anger and frustration, particularly, of course, among members of the stolen generation. In their case, wounds that had begun to heal were reopened. These events highlighted the great importance and the urgent need of reconciliation. Having been in public life for 35 years now, I cannot remember an occasion where commentary in both print and electronic media was so overwhelmingly in support of one side of the equation and where interest was so sustained. This support has been very heartening to the Council, and also to ATSIC.

I believe that with the great event of Corroboree 2000 now only five weeks away, there is a great need to lower the temperature. It is important for the whole nation that Corroboree 2000 succeeds. Engaged as it is in constant rounds of discussion with all stake-holders, the Council is still hopeful of support from all sides for its document towards reconciliation. Support does not necessarily mean that each stake-holder must agree with 100% of every word within the document. Rather, it means agreement with the broad thrust and intent.

Corroboree 2000 and the People’s March for Reconciliation

On the 27th May, Corroboree 2000 will take place in the Sydney Opera House with the participation of 2000 guests as the occasion where the Council presents its document to the Australian people. The document will embody a Declaration as a brief, inspirational and aspirational statement of the principles of reconciliation, phrased in poetic and timeless language, a statement which will be strong and direct. The document will also summarise what needs to be done from a practical point of view by way of strategies to advance reconciliation. These strategies arise from the principles of the Declaration and map some of the steps that need to be taken by governments, organisations and individuals, stressing targets to be met within specific time frames.

Both the Declaration and the strategies will be finalised within the next couple of weeks after an exhaustive period of community consultation. There were about 200 community consultation meetings across the length and breadth of the nation. As well as that, the draft document went to a large number of organisations and individuals. Thousands of comments have reached the Council Secretariat, mostly in accordance with a structured format. These have been correlated and summarised for the Council. Furthermore, both qualitative and quantitative independent social research has been commissioned, the results of which are now complete, and some of which have been publicly released. Unsurprisingly, community attitudes were not uniformly in favour of the Council’s position. The somewhat mixed signals were expected, but it was encouraging that 74 per cent of people who read our draft document agreed with at least most of its content. Furthermore, it was encouraging that the great majority of people favoured reconciliation and thought it was important. In finalising its views, the Council will not go to the lowest common dominator. Rather, it will give leadership and will rally support for its position through further communication and education. During the remaining seven months of its term, and in preparation for its final report to Parliament, the Council hopes to do a lot of work on what kind of legislation could give effect to the document and could provide a framework for the future. The Council is also proposing a foundation to continue the work of reconciliation, and particularly the people’s movement, beyond the year 2000.

On the 28th May, there will be a People’s Walk for Reconciliation from North Sydney across the Sydney Harbour Bridge, which will be closed for seven hours. It is of course impossible to know how many people will walk, but it could be up to one quarter of a million people. We hope that this march will allow ordinary Australians to express how deeply they feel about reconciliation and once again it is heartening to see how much support our plans for this walk have received.

Practical Aspects of Reconciliation: Indigenous Health

The health issue is one example of how urgent the practical aspects of reconciliation are as well. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples in Northern, Central and Western Australia have a lower life expectancy than any other Indigenous minority within a first world country. Overall, life expectancy is 18 years lower than for mainstream Australians. Heart and arterial disease, respiratory conditions, diabetes, suicide rates, injury, poisoning and kidney ailments are all far higher in Indigenous people. Of course this is by no means due to the nature of the health services alone, it has a great deal to do with the overall life situation. Still, it is daunting to realise that the overall death rates are not falling fast enough, in contrast to the situation in the United States, Canada and New Zealand.

It is important to explode the myth that tons of money have been thrown at Aboriginal health with no good effect. In fact, we spend a total of $1.08 on health for Indigenous Australians as compared with $1.00 spent per man, woman and child on mainstream Australians. Given a health status at least three times worse, this eight per cent differential is actually tiny, and when one factors in remoteness (it costs more to do almost anything in a remote community) the difference disappears altogether. In relation to need, this situation is patently unfair. To illustrate that intelligent deployment of resources can have some good effects, and to end on a more positive note, let me detail some of the significant achievements which have recently been made in the health field.

• Immunisation rates are at a very high level in Indigenous communities and there are low levels of vaccine preventable diseases. Furthermore, significant research into new and improved vaccines of importance to Aboriginal communities is going on in various parts of Australia.

• Neonatal mortality (deaths in the first month of life), though considerably higher than that of other Australians, has fallen significantly in the last 20 years, in the whole of Australia and particularly in Western Australia.
• The strong women, strong babies, strong culture program, aiming to improve birth outcomes in Aboriginal communities in the Northern Territory, has been a great success. This program is under the management and operational control of local Aboriginal women and began in 1993. The idea is to support pregnant women in the community, encourage antenatal clinic visits, ensure proper nutrition during pregnancy, achieve good compliance with prescribed medications and obtain culturally appropriate family involvement and support. Amongst the results have been an increase in the mean birth weight, and a reduction in the proportion of babies weighing less than 2,500 grams by a factor of nearly two.
• In very recent years, the death rate from infections and parasitic diseases appears to be falling, as does the instance and severity of diarrhoeal disease.
• While attack rates remain extremely high, mortality from acute respiratory illness has declined in Aboriginal children.
• Rheumatic fever and chronic rheumatic heart disease are declining.
• There is some decline in death rates from cardiovascular disease.
• There has been an increase in the number of Indigenous doctors, nurses and Aboriginal health workers in several states and territories. There are now 36 Aboriginal doctors in Australia (the first two graduated in 1990) and the James Cook University of Townsville in conjunction with the University of Queensland has started a new medical course with special reference to the training of Indigenous doctors, nurses and auxiliary health professionals.
• Six core partners have come together to create the Cooperative Research Centre for Aboriginal and Tropical Health, hosted at the Menzies School of Health Research in Darwin.

What we need in this regard is to continue the process on which our Health Minister, Dr Michael Wooldridge, has embarked, with special emphasis on primary health care, and with increased funding from both the Commonwealth and the States and Territories. While it is estimated that eventually an extra $200 million per annum will be required, it is also obvious that this cannot happen all at once, and I would plead in the first instance for an extra $20 million per year from the Commonwealth to be matched by the States and Territories, incrementally in each of the next 5 years.

Conclusions

The Council for Aboriginal Reconciliation is now one of the main games in town. While still having eight months to go, 27th May will represent a crescendo. There are three things to hope for over the remaining five weeks.

If we take these steps, reconciliation can evolve from a dream into a burgeoning reality.

Media Releases and Speeches

Home Page