Today, National Reconciliation Week (NRW) kicks off to the sound of Australians across the country being All In for reconciliation.
More than 41,000 people, as part of more than 700 Voices for Reconciliation choirs, came together to sing Beds Are Burning by Midnight Oil.
Co-composer of the song Peter Garrett has described the song as ‘a call for all Australians to be all in for truth, land rights and reconciliation,’ and encouraged choirs to ‘sing it with the power and passion for change.’
National Reconciliation Week is amplified by the arrival in Canberra on Ngunnawal and Ngambri Country of the National Walk for Truth led by Kerrupmara and Gunditjmara man Travis Lovett. The walk has been joined by over 6,000 people on its 38-day journey.
Reconciliation Australia CEO Karen Mundine says these events are powerful demonstrations of Australians standing together for truth, justice and reconciliation.
‘As this year’s NRW theme makes clear – and as these actions show – reconciliation is not a spectator sport,’ Karen Mundine said.
‘All In is a call for all Australians to step off the sidelines and commit to reconciliation every single day through actions that create meaningful change.’
For more than 30 years, Australians have marked National Reconciliation Week – bookended by the anniversaries of the 1967 Referendum (27 May) and the 1992 Mabo decision (3 June) – in their schools, workplaces, communities and homes.
‘Reconciliation has always been a people’s movement, led by First Nations peoples and supported by allies in communities across the country.
‘For decades, this movement has worked to deepen understanding of Australia’s true history and confront the ongoing impacts of injustice, inequality and exclusion.
‘It is hard, often exhausting work that requires strength and resilience, but it shows what is possible when we move forward together, led by First Nations voices.
‘This is what All In represents: all of us, side by side, building relationships grounded in truth, trust and respect.
‘I urge Australians to be All In this National Reconciliation Week.’
