National Reconciliation Week 2021
National Reconciliation Week starts today May 27 to June 3, 2021. This year Reconciliation Australia encourages us all to take braver steps toward reconciliation.
This is a time for all Australians to learn about our shared history and to understand how we all can take steps to achieving effective reconciliation in our country.
We encourage you to learn more and look forward to sharing the steps CEHL is taking toward creation of a Reconciliation Action Plan.
Each year, Reconciliation week is celebrated from May 27 to June 3 recognising two significant dates in Australia’s history.
- The start of the week, May 27, marks the day of the 1967 Referendum which saw 90% of Australians voting to include Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples in the Census. Until this time, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples were not recognised as part of our population. This decision altered the Constitution so that the Australian Government could begin enacting laws that would address the inequalities between the indigenous and non-indigenous population.
- The last day, June 3, is the anniversary of the 1992 Mabo Decision. This decision from the High Court overruled the idea that terra nullius (land that belonged to no one) applied in Australia, recognising Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as the Traditional Owners of our land.
These important dates stand as recognition of what First Nations people have overcome and remind us of how far we still have to go to effectively achieve reconciliation as a nation. Because of this, we - as individuals, organisations, and communities - all have a role to play.