In 2004, former footballer Michael Long embarked on a walk from Melbourne to Parliament House in Canberra with the aim of obtaining a meeting with then-prime minister John Howard. Intense media scrutiny followed, and when Long reached the halfway point, Howard finally granted the meeting. Now, 18 years later, Long's walk is commemorated annually with a day of live music by leading Indigenous artists, free sport and art activations, a huge barbecue and the traditional Walk to the G.
National Reconciliation Week takes place from May 27 to June 3, and it's observed across the country annually as a time to celebrate, reflect and work towards reconciliation in Australia. Established in 1993 as the Week of Prayer for Reconciliation before becoming NRW in 1993, the start and end dates also hold great significance and commemorate important milestones in the journey towards reconciliation. On May 27, 1967, Australians voted to include Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as part of the population and on the national census, and on June 3, 1992, Eddie Koiko Mabo won a case in the High Court that recognised pre-colonial land ownership by Indigenous Australians.
Dr Peter Lewis is the national president of Australians for Native Title and Reconciliation (ANTaR), and Uncle Richard Frankland is ANTaR's Victorian co-chair, a Gunditjmara man and a celebrated playwright, scriptwriter and musician. Both Dr Lewis and Uncle Richard have decades of experience working in the Indigenous social justice and advocacy space, and we spoke to both of them about what phase of reconciliation Australia is in, how to be an accomplice rather than an ally and the systemic changes they hope to see in the near future.
"One of the most beautiful things that I've observed is many non-First Nation peoples stepping across the cultural abyss with a hunger to know," says Uncle Richard. "And they want to know not just about First Nation people but also why weren't they told – why isn't First Nation knowledge part of the infrastructure of our nation?"
Learning about shared histories, cultures and achievements is a large part of the spirit of NRW, and many concepts that were once considered 'radical' have now become commonplace – but this poses a new issue. "Years ago, the idea of a welcome to country was a radical idea, whereas now the danger is that it's become too accepted and [people] don't see what it actually means," says Dr Lewis. "There's been a big shift, but the challenge now is to actually make that shift real. It's in people's heads, but it really needs to get to the stage where it's actually creating the change that's needed."
We all have a role to play in reconciliation, and part of that role involves making the leap from being an ally to being an accomplice. What does that mean exactly? According to Dr Lewis, it's the difference between "going to events, which is still totally important, to knocking on the door of your local member and saying, 'Why aren't you supporting treaty?' Or if they are, asking them 'How can we move to the next stage and create the change that's needed?"
To Uncle Richard, the key difference between an accomplice and an ally comes down to what you're prepared to let go of. "How much humility are you prepared to have, and how much are you prepared to analyse the past and how that's fostered who you are now?" There's still a ways to go, but some of the changes that he hopes to see include including First Nations people in gross domestic finances and the creation of a First Nation Council of Elders across the Pacific. "We need to consider radical actions and agitate and stir until they work," says Uncle Richard.
There's a lot of work to be done, but to help you get started on your journey towards contributing to reconciliation, ANTaR helped us compile a list of NRW events to participate in below. Have a scroll, engage with a local event and commit to participating in reconciliation now and every day.
