27 May - 3 June 2006

This year marks the 10th anniversary of the establishment of National Reconciliation Week.

The theme of National Reconciliation Week 2006 is: Reconciliation: take the next step.

It reflects the reality that while the Bridge Walks were an important demonstration that Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians were ready to move forward together, there is still much to be done to build relationships which achieve better outcomes for us all.

National Reconciliation Week offers people across Australia the opportunity to focus on reconciliation, to hear about the culture and history of Australia’s Indigenous people, and to explore new and better ways of meeting challenges in our communities.

National Reconciliation Week is a time for us to renew our commitment to reconciliation and to think about how we can help turn around the continuing disadvantage experienced by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians.

How did national reconciliation week come about?

National Reconciliation Week (NRW) was initiated in 1996 to provide a special focus for nationwide reconciliation activities. The week is a time to reflect on achievements so far and on what must still be done to achieve reconciliation.

NRW coincides with two significant dates in Australia's history which provide strong symbols of our hopes and aims for reconciliation.

May 27 marks the anniversary of the 1967 Referendum in which more than 90 per cent of Australians voted to remove clauses from the Australian Constitution which discriminated against Indigenous Australians. The referendum also gave the Commonwealth Government the power to make laws on behalf of Aboriginal people.

June 3 marks the anniversary of the High Court of Australia's judgment in 1992 in the Mabo case. The decision recognised the Native Title rights of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, the original inhabitants of the continent, and overturned the myth of terra nullius - that the continent was empty, unowned land before the arrival of Europeans in 1788.


Click here for more information