As a gesture of its commitment to the ongoing reconciliation process, the Government will support the construction of a reconciliation square in the National Capital, Canberra.
Consultations on this proposal with the Council for Aboriginal Reconciliation and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander representatives will commence immediately. Some preliminary discussions have already occurred.
The development of a reconciliation square would be historic as it would represent the first truly integrated national symbol recognising indigenous people and our desire as a nation to share a harmonious future.
A reconciliation square in the parliamentary zone will place the reconciliation process physically and symbolically at the heart of Australia’s democratic life and institutions. It will signify the importance the government places on the ongoing process of reconciliation and be a prominent symbol of the nation’s commitment to healing the wounds of the past.
The square, and any memorial or commemoration within it, would acknowledge:
the history of the nation’s first people;
our shared history and common bonds;
the separation of many indigenous people from their families as a result of past practices, and the ongoing consequences; and
the significant achievements of indigenous people.
This is not an exclusive or exhaustive list of what the square would recognise. The views of indigenous people will be a major factor in the design and focus of the square.
The form of the square would only be finalised after consultation with the traditional owners of the parliamentary zone, the Ngunnawal people, and national representatives of indigenous people, including the Chairman of ATSIC, Mr Geoff Clark, and the Chairman of the Torres Strait Regional Authority, Mr Terry Waia. The National Capital Authority and the ACT Government would also be part of the consultation process. Senator the Hon Ian Macdonald, the Minister for Regional Services, Territories and Local Government, will have a role in facilitating the consultation and other processes.
Works constructed in the parliamentary zone are usually the subject of a design competition. In this case, a competition will provide the opportunity for indigenous people to put forward designs and for indigenous representatives to be on the panel that selects the winning design.
A number of potential sites for a square are available in the parliamentary zone. The form of the square would take into account the recently completed Parliamentary Zone Review and the planning and heritage parameters that apply to the zone.
If the proposal for an ongoing reconciliation foundation to promote the reconciliation process comes to fruition it may well be appropriate for the Government to provide space to permanently house that foundation. This could be located in close proximity to the proposed reconciliation square.
Discussions between the Government and the Council on the proposed foundation are continuing.
Up to $5 million will be provided for the square and related initiatives.
22 May 2000