Reconciliation Australia has called for bipartisan commitment to reconciliation and justice for First Nations peoples in the 48th Parliament, warning political division must not derail progress again.
In a statement, the organisation said the last parliamentary term was overshadowed by culture war rhetoric — from the Voice to Parliament referendum to opposition leader Peter Dutton's public criticism of Welcome to Country ceremonies and refusal to stand in front of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander flags.
On Tuesday, Ngunnawal Elder Aunty Violet Sheridan delivered a Welcome to Country at the opening of Parliament, which both Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Opposition Deputy Leader Sussan Ley responded to with respectful remarks.
Mr Albanese described the Welcome as "an opportunity for us to embrace and to show a profound love of home and country".
"It is a reminder as well of why we all belong here together, that we are stronger together and we belong," he said.
Ms Ley, stepping back from the aggressive tone adopted by Mr Dutton during his leadership, said the Welcome should "set the tone for the next Parliament".
Reconciliation Australia welcomed both statements, calling them a positive sign that "the rancorous division seen during the 2023 Referendum and this year's election campaign may be waning".
"The Parliament must reflect the strong support for reconciliation and truth-telling in the Australian community," the organisation said.
It pointed to findings from its 2024 Australian Reconciliation Barometer (ARB), which showed 85 per cent of Australians believe the relationship between non-Indigenous and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples is important.
Furthermore, the ARB found 71 per cent of Australians believe truth-telling is essential to that relationship.
"Informed by the high level of community support, this Parliament must take decisive action to progress reconciliation, close the gap in First Nations outcomes, and advance a formal national truth-telling process," Reconciliation Australia said.
"It must show determined leadership in Australia's reconciliation journey and ensure this journey is framed by unity and strength, not division and hesitancy.
"A real understanding of our shared history will provide a solid foundation for a more unified and cohesive society. Australians want nothing less."
Although the Voice to Parliament was rejected in the 2023 referendum, advocates continue to push for the remaining pillars of the Uluru Statement from the Heart: Treaty and Truth.
In May, Minister for Indigenous Australians, Malarndirri McCarthy, said she remained "very much open to listening to what people have to say," and would not rule out progress on Treaty and Truth within this term of government.
Labor, she said, has "never shied away from the principles" of Truth-telling.
"Truth-telling can occur within school environments and committees and communities across the country," she said.
"What I'm saying, in terms of my role as Indigenous Affairs Minister, is that I'm ready to listen to see what possibilities there could be in going forward."
Makarrata, a Yolŋu word meaning a coming together after a struggle, is the final step outlined in the Uluru Statement. It signifies the process of truth and treaty-making. In 2023, Uluru Statement architect Pat Anderson urged the government to establish a national Truth and Justice Commission.
In the lead-up to the May federal election, conservative commentators and Coalition figures ran a fear campaign, falsely suggesting the government would legislate the Voice despite the referendum's outcome.
