Page 2466 - Week 07 - Thursday, 3 August 2017
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(a) supporting the rights of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples to freely determine their political status and to freely pursue their economic, social and cultural development in line with the right to self-determination;
(b) recognising the ongoing effects of trans-generational trauma, caused by past government policies, on members of the ACT Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community; and
(c) acknowledging and valuing local knowledge, expertise and contributions from the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community, elders groups, service providers and the ACT Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Elected Body in order to meet the diverse needs of the community in a holistic and culturally appropriate way;
(4) calls on the ACT Government to:
(a) continue to work in partnership with the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community to achieve improved and equitable outcomes through strong connections to culture, supporting people through the justice system, expanding outreach and other health programs, and improving career opportunities;
(b) support efforts to progress the national conversation to reach a sincere and meaningful reconciliation with First Australians; and
(c) remain engaged with Commonwealth discussions regarding meaningful constitutional reform; and
(5) calls on the Assembly to write to the Prime Minister and Commonwealth Minister for Indigenous Affairs to express the Assembly’s support for continuing and prioritising the national conversation about reconciliation and constitutional reform with First Australians.
I bring this motion to the Assembly today to recognise one of the most significant milestone moments for Aboriginal and Torres Islander people since 1967. We have reached an important moment in the journey towards reconciliation and constitutional reform with the release of the Uluru statement from the heart and the delivery of the final report of the Referendum Council to the Prime Minister and Leader of the Opposition.
In recent months we have also celebrated the 50th anniversary of the 1967 referendum, 25 years since the historic Mabo High Court decision, National Reconciliation Week and NAIDOC Week. Each of these events plays a special role in our history and it is right that we come together in this place to speak to their significance. While we celebrate these important milestones we also look to the future and know that there is still a lot of work to do. There may be different views on what reconciliation and constitutional reform will look like but first and foremost we must listen to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander leaders, who have come together and mapped out a way forward through the Uluru statement.
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