National Reconciliation Week is a time for all Australians to acknowledge the histories and cultures of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and take action to build positive relationships with one another.
Reconciliation is a journey for all Australians – as individuals, families, communities, organisations and importantly as a nation. At the heart of this journey are relationships between the broader Australian community and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.
Reconciliation Australia’s theme for 2021, More than a word. Reconciliation takes action, urges the reconciliation movement towards braver and more impactful action.
The dates of National Reconciliation Week – 27 May to 3 June – commemorate the 1967 referendum and the High Court Mabo decision.
For 60,000 years, the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people have called Australia home.
When Captain James Cook first landed at Botany Bay in 1770, he declared the land he saw 'terra nullius', meaning 'no one's land'. This set the foundation of European settlement based on British law.
What was regarded as "colonisation" from the British perspective was often seen as "invasion" by the First Peoples of Australia.
