Uniya Newsletter: Autumn 1995, p 1.

                  Reconciliation for All Australians
                                   
(Azalia Canuto Ah Mat is employed part-time by Uniya and facilitates
groups working for Reconciliation.)

THE CLOSE OF 1994 marked the end of the first three-year term for the
Council for Aboriginal Reconciliation. Australians share a common
interest in pursuing the of the Council's goals. Developments in the
1990's present a prime opportunity to make great strides, with the
Native Title Act, the Land Acquisition Program, the Social Justice
Package, the Centenary of Australian Federation and the Sydney
Olympics all on the national agenda.

  Some Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people are adopting a
"wait and see" attitude. Many are still involved in the struggle for
rights to land, sea and social justice. They want to see whether the
Reconciliation process will help them achieve any long-awaited gains.
Fr Dave Passi, one of the two surviving plaintiffs in the landmark
Native Title Case says: "Give us freedom and justice first, then we
will take Reconciliation".

  The Federal Government put forward a three-part response to the
landmark Native Title decision (1992) of the Australian High Court:

 1. The Native Title Act: The aim of the Act is to simplify and
    expedite native title claims through the establishment of the
    National Native Title Tribunal.
    
 2. The Land Acquisition Program: Only small numbers of indigenous
    Australians have much hope of mounting successful native title
    claims. The vast majority have lost connections to their
    traditional land because of what government has done to their
    land over the years. These dispossessed people would be helped
    under the proposed Land Acquisition Program.
    
 3. The Social Justice Package: The package is due to be presented in
    mid-1995. Currently representatives from the Aboriginal and
    Torres Strait Islander Commission, along with the Social Justice
    Commissioner, are consulting with indigenous communities across
    Australia to determine their particular needs and aspirations.
    
  Over the next six years Australians will develop a deeper
understanding of the Reconciliation process and at some point both
indigenous and non-indigenous people will be asked: Do you want a
document of reconciliation?

  In 1979 the Aboriginal Treaty Committee was formed under the Fraser
Government. The concept was raised again in 1988 when the then Prime
Minister, Mr Bob Hawke, signed the Barunga Statement, pointing to a
binding document: "There shall be a treaty negotiated between the
Aboriginal people and the Government of Australia." Later the
Coalition expressed disagreement with the Treaty concept.
Nevertheless, agreement has persisted among the major political
parties that some sort of Reconciliation process is in order.

  The final recommendation of the Royal Commission into Aboriginal
Deaths in Custody helped to solidify the necessarily political
support. It suggested: "That all political leaders and their parties
recognise that reconciliation between the Aboriginal and non-
Aboriginal communities in Australia must be achieved if community
division, discord and injustice to Aboriginal people are to be
avoided."

  The first Council for Aboriginal Reconciliation was formed in
September 1991. Its vision is: "A united Australia which respects this
land of ours, values the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander
heritage and provides justice and equity for all."

  The entire process is scheduled for completion prior to the
Centenary of Australia's Federation, 1 January 2001. Mr Patrick
Dodson, Chairperson of the Council for Aboriginal Reconciliation, has
said: "I hope that in the year 2001 we can celebrate our common vision
as Australians, reconciled to each other and our history."