Council welcomes COAG agreement on reconciliation and calls for actions to back up the words

The Chairperson, Dr Evelyn Scott, and the Deputy Chairperson, Sir Gustav Nossal, have welcomed today’s COAG announcement on Reconciliation and have called for it to be followed up with practical actions which will make a difference. Dr Scott said that the Council in particular welcomed:

• the leadership role that COAG has decided to take in advancing reconciliation;

• the commitment to a national approach based on partnerships with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples; and

• the decision to develop performance monitoring strategies and benchmarks through Commonwealth/State Ministerial Councils, and for COAG to review progress in 12 months and then periodically thereafter.

Dr Scott said that it was imperative that the agreement be implemented in partnership with Aboriginal people and Torres Strait Islanders, and their representatives including ATSIC.

Professor Nossal noted that "the COAG decisions are a direct response to the Council’s documents towards reconciliation – especially its Roadmap for Reconciliation – which were handed to the nation’s leaders at Corroboree 2000 on 27 May."

However, Dr Scott and Sir Gustav said that while the COAG agreement was a good start, the test would be whether it was implemented, and if it made a real difference in practice. "The 1992 COAG National Commitment is an example of fine words that produced no real or lasting outcomes, and this 2000 agreement must not repeat that experience," they said. "We also note that COAG did not address our symbolic recommendations, in particular, initiating public discussions on a new date for Australia Day that includes all Australians."

Dr Scott and Prof. Nossal welcomed COAG’s nomination of three areas for priority action:

• investing in community leadership initiatives;

• reviewing and revamping programs and services to ensure they deliver practical measures that support families, children and young people – in particular measures for tackling family violence, drug and alcohol dependency, and other symptoms of community dysfunction; and

• forging greater links between the business sector and indigenous communities to help promote economic independence.

CANBERRA 3 NOVEMBER 2000

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