National Reconciliation Week 2022

Be Brave.  Make Change.

From 27 May to 3 June we celebrate National Reconciliation Week, an event established in 1996.

But why are these two dates so significant?

On 27 May 1967, Australia’s most successful referendum saw more than 90 percent of Australians vote to give the Australian Government power to make laws for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and recognise them in the Census.

On 3 June 1992, the Australian High Court delivered the Mabo decision, the culmination of Eddie Koiki Mabo’s challenge to the legal fiction of ‘terra nullius’ (land belonging to no one) and leading to the legal recognition of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as the Traditional Owners and Custodians of lands.  This decision paved the way for Native Title.

Reconciliation must live in the hearts, minds and actions of all Australians as we move forward and create a nation that is strengthened by respectful relationships between the wider Australian Community and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.  

National Reconciliation Week provides us with an opportunity to learn more about our shared histories, cultures and achievements and to explore how each of us may contribute to achieving reconciliation in Australia.

The theme for National Reconciliation Week 2022 is “Be Brave. Make Change”, challenging all of us to make change beginning with brave actions in our daily lives, where we live, work, play and socialise.

To learn more about National Reconciliation Week visit the website and watch the video. 

By Kate Baines

Source:  Reconciliation Australia