Australia recently commemorated National Reconciliation Week (NRW), which runs each year from 27 May to 3 June. In that week, tens of thousands of non-Indigenous peoples attended events across the country. State reconciliation organisations hosted very large in-person and online reconciliation breakfasts and dinners. Hundreds of organisations with Reconciliation Action Plans (RAPs) held reconciliation morning teas. Reconciliation Australia's NRW events site listed hundreds of community events throughout the nation.
During and after all this frenetic activity, I have reflected on how many of these tens of thousands of non-Indigenous people supported a First Nations Voice to Parliament in last year's Referendum. How many of all these people who took part in NRW events genuinely supported the Uluru Statement from the Heart, with its calls for Voice, Treaty, and Truth? Or did they instead engage in merely performative reconciliation? How many have continued to show up for reconciliation, truth, and justice after the week ended?
In my latest book, "Reflections from the Voice – during and after the campaign", I reflect on a number of key signposts from the Referendum for our ongoing national journey of reconciliation. These lessons relate to substantive and performative reconciliation, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander rights, racism and whiteness, truth-telling and education, understandings of 'equity' and 'equality', engaging with multicultural and regional communities, international agreements, allyship, RAPs, and the Uluru Statement from the Heart.
These signposts help non-Indigenous people better navigate our commitments to reconciliation and allyship. What are we doing to educate ourselves, and our friends, families, colleagues, and networks about the true history of this country? How are we committing to not just 'truth-listening', but also 'truth-acting'? How are we challenging and condemning racism, white privilege, and white fragility? How are we contributing to reduce the 'colonial load' (I prefer this term to 'cultural load') on Aboriginal and Torres Strait islander peoples?
How are we (non-Indigenous people) advocating, both personally and politically, for Voice, Treaty, and Truth? What are we doing to progress reconciliation beyond wearing T-Shirts with trendy slogans and attending reconciliation events? How are we engaging with reconciliation beyond NRW? Are we genuinely engaging in substantive rather than performative reconciliation? Did you vote Yes for a First Nations Voice to Parliament in the Referendum last year, and if you didn't vote Yes, have you honestly interrogated why you didn't support a Voice?
In referring to substantive reconciliation, I mean a range of areas long advocated by many Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander leaders, and some non-Indigenous peoples, including myself. These areas include: recognising Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander rights, including self-determination and Treaty; addressing history and truth-telling; challenging racism and whiteness; privileging Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Knowledges; working towards distributive and reparative justice; and creating and improving relationships.
The signposts also help non-Indigenous organisations better engage with reconciliation and allyship. Does your organisation have a RAP? If you do, does it engage in a strength-based approach or a deficit-based approach? Is your RAP merely a 'tick the box' exercise? Are you undertaking a RAP for performative reasons, to look good for the public, or are you undertaking a RAP to genuinely engage in substantive reconciliation? How do you commemorate NRW beyond morning teas? How do you engage with reconciliation beyond reconciliation week?
How does your organisation recognise the importance of First Nations Voices in the organisation, including in areas of the Board, staff, executives, suppliers, and partners? Did your organisation genuinely support a First Nations Voice to Parliament in the 2023 Referendum? if it did, how did it support it, both internally and publicly? If it didn't, have you had honest reflections at all levels of the organisation about why it didn't? If you have a RAP and didn't support a First Nations Voice, how do you reconcile this inconsistency?
Is your organisation culturally safe for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples? Do you have specific anti-racist policies and processes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander matters? Do you require your non-Indigenous staff to undertake regular cultural responsiveness and anti-racist training? Do you recruit Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples to all levels of your organisation, including to the Board and senior executives? How does your organisation engage with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Knowledges and Cultures?
I certainly strongly support non-Indigenous peoples and organisations engaging in NRW activities, including breakfasts, morning teas, and dinners, as these activities are fantastic to raise awareness and build coalitions and capacity. They are though, by themselves, simply not enough. Honestly reflecting on questions such as the ones that I have raised above, will go a long way to genuinely increasing your allyship and moving from engaging in merely performative reconciliation to engaging in genuine and substantive reconciliation.
Professor Andrew Gunstone is Associate Deputy Vice-Chancellor Reconciliation and Professor Indigenous Studies at Federation University, where he established and leads the National Centre for Reconciliation, Truth, and Justice.
He is also Co-Chair of Reconciliation Victoria and sits on several national and regional reconciliation committees. His latest book, "Reflections on the Voice – during and after the campaign" is available online.
