"Now more than ever, we actually need action": Reconciliation Australia boss Karen Mundine
Reconciliation Australia chief executive Karen Mundine has urged Australians to "dig deep" and take notice in 2024 as Reconciliation Week and its theme 'now more than ever' kicks off across the country.
Around the nation on Monday, breakfasts, gatherings and events were held ahead of a week-long calendar.
May 26 marks National Sorry Day, a date of observance and reflection to the Stolen Generation, with Reconciliation Week bookended by the anniversaries of the 1967 referendum and 1992 Mabo land rights decision in the High Court of Australia, on May 27 and June 3 respectively.
In 2024, calls continue to be put out to the public to advance Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander rights and outcomes.
"We're not seeing the kind of changes that we would like to see for the lives of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people," Ms Mundine told ABC.
"Although reconciliation should be done every day of the year, this week in particular, we really want to put the clarion call out to people that now more than ever we need to dig deep, we need to listen, to look at all of those reports, to hear what Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people are saying.
"And now more than ever, we actually need action."
On the first Reconciliation Week since last year's failed Voice referendum, Ms Mundine took a positive view from the 40 per cent of the country who voted 'yes'.
"I look at the 6.2 million Australians who said yes, who were out there campaigning, who actually believe and can see how Aboriginal people having a say in our lives and the decisions that impact our communities can make a difference. And that gives me hope," she said.
This time last year, Ms Mundine stated a Voice to Parliament would not be a "silver bullet" for First Nations Australians, she told ABC.
In a joint media statement on Monday, Minister for Indigenous Australians Linda Burney and Assistant Minister Malarndirri McCarthy acknowledged "a difficult 2023 for many First Nations people", but implored the public to join in on a shared journey.
"Reconciliation requires us to understand our history, recognise the injustices of the past and work towards a better and more just future," the release read.
"In the spirit of Reconciliation Week, all Australians are encouraged to come together and play a part in our journey towards a unified Australia, one that has achieving better outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people at its heart 'understand our history, recognise the injustices of the past and work towards a better and more just future."
Minister Burney put the call to the "next generation of young Australians" in particular to grasp the opportunity "to move this country forward to a more united future", with Ms McCarthy stating "each of us has a part to play in advancing this journey".
"I urge every Australian to consider how to work together to create a reconciled country that takes pride in 65,000 years of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures, histories and connection to country," the Assistant Minister for Indigenous Australians said.
