26th May – 3rd June 2010
Courtesy of Reconciliation Australia (www.reconciliation.org.au)
National Reconciliation Week 2010 will be held across Australia from 27 May to 3 June. This year marks the 14th anniversary of National Reconciliation Week with the theme ‘Reconciliation: Let’s see it through!’.
National Reconciliation Week coincides with two significant dates in Australia’s history, both of which provide strong symbols of the aspirations for reconciliation. The week begins on 27 May with the anniversary of the 1967 Referendum which removed clauses from the Australian Constitution that discriminated against Indigenous Australians.
The week ends with the anniversary of the High Court of Australia’s judgement in the Mabo case on 3 June 1992. The decision recognised the Native Title rights of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, and overturned the myth of terra nullius – that the continent was empty of people and the land unowned before European settlement in 1788.
National Reconciliation Week follows National Sorry Day on May 26. It was on this day in 1997 that the Report of the National Inquiry into the Separation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children from their families was tabled in Federal Parliament. Titled the Bringing Them Home report, it acknowledged with unquestionable evidence the forced removal of thousands of Indigenous children from their families and communities.
National Reconciliation Week offers an opportunity for all Australians to look ahead to reconciliation and to celebrate together the culture and achievements of Indigenous Australians. If you would like to know more about the Bringing Them Home report, visit the National Sorry Day Committee’s website and pledge your support for the 54 recommendations. To get involved in reconciliation celebrations and events around Australia, visit Reconciliation Australia’s website for more information and to find out how you can get involved.
The State Library has a unique collection relating to all aspects of Western Australian history. If you would like to know more about our Indigenous collections and resources, please feel welcome to contact us at indigenous.spec@slwa.wa.gov.au or visit our subject guides on the State Library’s website.
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