National Reconciliation Week: 27 May - 3 June 2010
Each year National Reconciliation Week (NRW) celebrates the rich culture and history of the First Australians. It is the ideal time for everyone to join the reconciliation conversation and to think about how we can help turn around the disadvantage experienced by many Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.
History of National Reconciliation Week
In 1993 faith communities of Australia started the Week of Prayer for Reconciliation. Following its success, the week was expanded in 1996 to become NRW to provide nationwide focus for all reconciliation activities.
NRW began in 1996 to provide focus for nationwide reconciliation activities. It’s a time to reflect on achievements so far and focus on what is still to be done to achieve reconciliation in Australia.
NRW coincides with two significant dates in Australia’s history which provide strong symbols of the aspirations for reconciliation.
May 27 marks the anniversary of the 1967 Referendum in which more than 90 per cent of Australians voted to remove clauses from the Australian Constitution which discriminated against Indigenous Australians. The referendum also gave the Commonwealth Government the power to make laws on behalf of Aboriginal people.
June 3 marks the anniversary of the High Court's judgment in the 1992 Mabo case. The decision recognised the Native Title rights of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as the original inhabitants of the continent and overturned the myth of terra nullius – the belief that the continent was an empty, un-owned land before the arrival of Europeans in 1788.
The Theme for NRW 2010
The theme for National Reconciliation Week 2010 is Reconciliation: Let’s see it through! NRW 2010 will highlight that a decade after the historic bridge walks it’s fair to say the future for reconciliation has never looked brighter. And while there’s still a way to go, respect, trust and the knowledge to turn good intentions into effective actions pave the way forward. In the words of the Prime Minister, we can now walk and work together, ‘First Australians alongside all Australians, towards a stronger and fairer Australian nation’. So on the 10th anniversary of the bridge walks (and of Reconciliation Australia itself), we’re asking all Australians to embrace the future and aspire to achieve great things together.
Posters are available to order through the RA website. Complete the form to receive NRW resources.
What's Happening for NRW this Year?
For more information on what’s happening for NRW in your area visit your state reconciliation council website.
If you’re organising an event, in NRW or any other time of the year please list it on our Online Events Calendar.
