Aboriginal Australians have been subjected to much discrimination over the past 30 years, yet this is improving within society. The discrimination that the Aboriginal Australians have had to endure over the years is immense. The stolen generation where Aboriginal children were taken away by the Government because Aboriginal parents were deemed to be unfit to look after there own children is probably the most well known case of this. The stolen generation report caused disappointing consequences within the wider Australian community because it revealed the torment non-Aboriginal Australians put Aboriginal people through. Australians also selfishly excluded Aboriginal Australians from the general benefits of civilisation to stop them having any progress in life. This was changed in the 1967 Referendum which voted in a change in the Constitution which made the Commonwealth a law making power in Aboriginal affairs. This was the first true step towards reconciliation. The reconciliation officially began in 1991 with the establishment of the Council for Aboriginal Reconciliation whose mission was to form a partnership built on justice and equity along with the appreciation of Australia’s Indigenous People. Even though the treatment of Aboriginal Australians has been terrible Australians are working towards reconciliation to build a better relationship.
Reconciliation is a fairly new and modern action on Australia’s political agenda yet the concept has been around for many years. The establishment of progress associations and groups working towards a proposed treaty or apology from the Government have played a huge role in reconciliation . These Associations and groups decided one of the most progressive and possible steps towards reconciliation was to train Aboriginal Australians with education , training , arts and crafts of European culture. This was a successful step towards reconciliation. Aboriginal Australians have progressed towards reconciliation with the help of many associations, organisations and other groups.
Noel Pearson, Evelyn Scott and other urbanised Aboriginals have been key public Activists within the reconciliation campaign. Urbanised Aboriginals have been the main enforcers of the reconciliation campaign. John Patter, founder of the Aboriginals Progressive Association in 1937 made it clear with the statement “We have no desire to go back to primitive conditions of the stone age. We ask you to teach our people to live in the modern Age as citizens” (see appendix 1) that Aboriginal Australians wanted to strive towards reconciliation. This however was held back by the Liberal coalition as they traditionally campaigned against the concept when the proposed treaty was brought about in 1988 and held attitudes like the one of the Acting Prime Minister John Anderson with his statement that “ I see it as a waste of resources and it is not something I am willing to support” (“Australian Government Rejects call For Treaty with Aboriginies” authour unknown ,magazine unknown,www.search.global.epnet.com). It was attitudes like this that caused a huge set back for Aboriginal reconciliation as cross party support for the movement was crucial. The change of the Coalition was a huge step towards reconciliation and the movement was eventually given support from both sides of Government. . The path to reconciliation has been followed over the last few years through the work of these associations but there is still a long way to go.
Over the last 70 years Aboriginal and Non-Aboriginal Australians have attempted to work together yet the official implementation of the reconciliation process did not come about until 1991. Since 1991 there have been many steps and courses of action towards reconciliation the Sea of Hands on the lawn of Parliament House, bridge walks and sorry books are just to name a few. Another step towards reconciliation was the Mabo decision concerning native title. The Mabo decision recognises the relationship between Aboriginal Australians and their land and it was called for urgent passage. At the handing over of the Meripah Station on the First of June 1991, John Koowarta sums up the idea of the Aboriginals Australian’s bond and relationship with the land fairly simply with the statement “ You know, I would say this land what we been asking Government or we asking some department for, can we get our land back , What for? What we worry, what we got in our mind, what we got in our heart. We think from our grandfathers, we think from our father and from our mother. It is Still in my heart.” (appendix 2) taken from his handing over speech. Bridges have been crossed for Aboriginal Australians and progress has been made especially in the field of reconciliation.
Reconciliation has dramatically improved the attitudes of Non-Aboriginal Australians since the official campaign beginning in 1991 through education and general support for movements within the community. The government’s policies for educating school students about Aboriginal language and way of life have been a huge progression as the youth are the face of the future and a more reconciled Australia. These attitudes however differ from older generations still continuing to be against a treaty or apology. Reconciliation is a path which has been followed to a certain extent yet in order to become a stable, definite motion for the future there must be more education and campaigning towards building a better relationship with Australia’s Indigenous society.