Key points
- The theme of National Reconciliation Week 2021 is 'More than a word. Reconciliation takes action.'
- Reconciliation Australia and the FECCA are calling on migrants to engage with the reconciliation process.
- This year also marks 20 years of Reconciliation Australia, the national body for reconciliation.
What is National Reconciliation Week?
National Reconciliation Week commemorates the referendum on 27 May 1967 in which Australians voted overwhelmingly to amend the Constitution to allow the Commonwealth to make laws for Aboriginal people and include them in the census.
It also commemorates the High Court Mabo decision on 3 June 1992 recognising the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as traditional landowners.
This year’s theme is More than a word. Reconciliation takes action. It marks 20 years of Reconciliation Australia, the national body for reconciliation that organises National Reconciliation Week.
Reconciliation Australia's CEO Karen Mundine, a Bundjalung woman from northern NSW, says reconciliation is everyone's responsibility, and it's an active experience.
“When it comes to NRW, it’s just an opportunity for us all to take a moment to think about those relationships, to put a spotlight on them, open up new conversations and encourage all of our communities to get involved in events or take part in activities,” she told SBS Radio.
This year marks 20 years of Reconciliation Australia - the national body for reconciliation. Source: Reconciliation Australia
Migrants and Reconciliation
Mohammad Al-Khafaji, the CEO of the Federation of Ethnic Communities Councils of Australia - the peak body for multicultural communities in Australia - calls on all migrants to engage with the reconciliation process.
“It’s our duty and obligation to know the history, to know what those communities have gone through because we have similar experiences and similar drivers for change," he says.
We both face racism, we both face injustice and we both want equity of access in this country.
Not all migrants may know or understand the significance of the National Reconciliation Week.
Many migrants don’t know how to have conversations around Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, cultures and histories, or whether it’s their place to engage.
The Encouraging Engagement Guide
Last year, FECCA published a guide for migrants titled Encouraging Engagement: A Guide for Multicultural Organisations to Engage in Reconciliation.
CEO Mohammad Al-Khafaji says the document provides a starting point for conversations during and beyond National Reconciliation Week.
There is no right or wrong way and the intent is the important thing here – to try and engage in good faith, to try and learn about each other’s cultures and history and what we need to do as migrants to elevate First Nations voices.”
The Encouraging Engagement guide suggests some meaningful activities:
- Develop a Reconciliation Action Plan
- Engage with National Reconciliation Week
- Celebrate NAIDOC Week
- Invite local Indigenous Elders to perform a Welcome to Country ceremony or Smoking Ceremony
- Strive for a culturally competent workplace
'Brave and more impactful actions'
Engaging with National Reconciliation Week can be as simple as updating your social media and email graphics, visiting the Reconciliation Australia website for local activities or accessing the resources that SBS has to offer, such as films or podcasts.
Reconciliation Australia's Karen Mundine says this year’s theme, More than a word. Reconciliation takes action, calls for all Australians to take braver and more impactful action.
"If going to a National Reconciliation Week event is the first time you ever do that, that’s a brave action. If you do this every year, maybe it’s time for you to host something this year," she says.
"And if you’re hosting and doing a whole bunch of other stuff, maybe it’s time to have a hard conversation with friends and family that don’t share your views on these issues.”
You can find National Australia Week resources and graphics on the Reconciliation Australia website:
