National Reconciliation Week began on Monday, marking the first of its kind since last year’s Indigenous Voice to Parliament referendum was rejected by the Australian public. 

The week has been marked by different events reflecting on and celebrating First Nations culture, as part of efforts to improve relationships between First Nations and non-First Nations people. 

In this newsletter, I look at the history of Reconciliation Week, and what the path to reconciliation looks like after Australia voted No to an Indigenous Voice to Parliament.

Reconciliation Week, now in its 28th year, includes events such as art exhibitions, seminars and ceremonies. The start and end dates of Reconciliation Week mark the anniversaries of two key dates in Australian history. 

Reconciliation Week begins on 27 May every year, marking the anniversary of the 1967 referendum that removed two Constitutional clauses preventing First Nations people from being considered part of Australia’s population. Australians voted in favour of allowing the Federal Parliament to include First Nations people in Australian legislation. The referendum also led to First Nations people being included in the national census. 

An overwhelming majority of Australians (almost 91%) voted Yes in 1967. Every state also voted Yes, giving the referendum the ‘double majority’ needed for it to be approved. 

The final day of Reconciliation Week is on Monday, 3 June. This date marks the 1992 Mabo decision — a High Court ruling acknowledging that Australia’s First Peoples had land rights predating colonial settlement. The case was brought to the High Court by First Nations man Eddie Mabo. The ruling overturned the ‘terra nullius’ policy – that Australian land did not belong to anyone before it was declared part of the British Crown in 1770.

This year’s theme is ‘Now More Than Ever’.

Organisers say it’s about acknowledging setbacks to reconciliation efforts between First Nations and non-First Nations Australians over the past year, and reaffirming the importance of achieving reconciliation in Australia.

Events took place across the country to celebrate Reconciliation Week. This includes the nation’s capital, where Parliament House was lit up with a projected artwork by Arrernte, Luritja and Puntupi artist Keturah Zimran (pictured above).

This year’s theme directly addresses the fallout from the failed referendum. The request for an Indigenous Voice to Parliament came from the Uluru Statement from the Heart — a statement endorsed by the Government outlining the path to formally recognising First Nations people in the nation’s Constitution.

Establishing a Constitutionally-enshrined Voice – a representative body for First Nations people to advise on policies that affect them – was seen as a key measure to advance reconciliation efforts in Australia.

However, on 14 October 2023, the majority of Australians voted against the Voice proposal.

The referendum’s failure ended the possibility of a Voice to Parliament, and left other reconciliation efforts from the Uluru Statement from the Heart in uncertainty.

Indigenous Australians Minister Linda Burney said First Nations people have faced new obstacles since the failure of the referendum.

“Following a difficult 2023 for many First Nations people – Now More Than Ever is a reminder to all of us, the fight for justice and the rights of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people will continue,” Burney said.

Following the referendum, Reconciliation Australia has focused its efforts on effective truth-telling processes to further reconciliation efforts across the country.

Truth-telling refers to the sharing of ongoing or historical truths, such as land dispossession and colonial conflict, to support reconciliation.

UNSW and Reconciliation Australia examined the best-practice models of truth-telling in a recent study. They found that truth-telling should be led by First Nations communities, recognise the ongoing impacts of past policies, and aim to improve First Nations outcomes.

The Uluru Statement from the Heart also called for the establishment of a ‘Makarrata Commission’ – a body that would, among other things, supervise the truth-telling processes between First Nations people and the Australian governments.

Given Australian voters significantly rejected the proposed Voice to Parliament, it’s unlikely that we’ll see this body established at a federal level any time soon. However, formal truth-telling processes are already underway in some states and territories. 

This includes the Victorian Yoorrook Justice Commission, which is documenting past and ongoing injustices experienced by First Nations people in Victoria. It hopes to develop a shared understanding of the impact of colonisation among all Victorians, and recommend actions to improve outcomes for First Nations people. It will deliver its final report next year. 

Queensland will launch a truth-telling and healing inquiry, while formal truth-telling processes are also underway in the Northern Territory and Tasmania.

The South Australian Government – as part of its commitment to the Uluru Statement from the Heart – passed laws last year to establish Australia’s first Voice to Parliament. Elections to decide the composition of the Voice took place earlier this year. 

Unlike the proposed Constitutionally-enshrined federal Voice, the South Australia Voice can be removed by the passing of legislation. Future opposition to the South Australian Voice could undermine further progress on initiatives like a truth-telling commission, part of the commitment to the Uluru Statement. 

That’s the lay of the land for now. As always, we’ll keep you informed of any developments to advance reconciliation efforts in Australia as they emerge. 

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