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PRIME MINISTER
TRANSCRIPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER, THE HON P. J. KEATING MP
PRESENTATION OF " WALKING TOGETHER: THE FIRST STEPS",
PARLIAMENT HOUSE, 17 NOVEMBER 1994
E& OE PROOF COPY
Sir Ronald, Pat Dodson, Mr Speaker, Mr President, my colleague the Leader
of the Opposition, the Leader of the Australian Democrats Senator Kernot
and Ms Lois O'Donoghue the Chairperson of ATSIC, Ministerial and
Parliamentary colleagues, members of the Council most particularly and
ladies and gentlemen.
I am very pleased to be here today for the presentation of the report " Walking
Together The First Steps" which describes Australia's progress towards
reconciliation after the first three years of effort by the Council for Aboriginal
Reconciliation. I think the fact that has been remarked already by the President, the Speaker
and Pat Dodson, that this Council was met with the approval of both houses
of Parliament, of the parties in the Parliament. The Council is a broad
representation of community and political interests and, of course, Aboriginal
and Torres Strait Islander interests and it is a fine thing that we are so certain
of the process that the Chairperson of it Patrick Dodson, can actually
present with some pride the report to the Speaker and to the President.
It wasn't that many years ago when Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander
people had lost heart in any process of reconciliation. It wasn't that long ago
when the whole notion about land rights had fizzled out to nothing in some of
the places where people were still living a traditional life, in some of the large
states. And, there was a feeling of despair, I suppose, about the process, but
I think, that that has changed and that is the great thing. Because, something
token, a token process of reconciliation is worse than no process at all
because it makes a mockery of something intrinsically important.
But, I think, we all think now that there is nothing token about this and, I think,
that it is probably true that the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander
community feel better about themselves today than a few years ago and the
Australian community feels better about reconciliation than it did just a short
time ago.
I think wherever principal strikes out, wherever a truth is spoken is like rain
falling on the ground things grow, good things happen and, I think, that
non-Aboriginal Australians have recognised the truth of what has happened
to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders in this country. They recognise the
deprivation and the crimes and the rest and that has been said and, I think,
the High Court's decision in respect of Mabo righting a wrong, putting clear
a truth that this was not a continent of no one, that there was a civilisation of
people here, that there was an expropriation of their property and their rights
and that later, much later indeed, the High Court recognised that Aboriginal
custom and tradition would be a source of Australian common law. Now this
is a significant breakthrough, but of course, as we all in this room know, that
decision had legal power, but no facilitation and even in parts of it where it
was clear, or unclear where the power of it was there was an obligation on
the Parliament to legislate and say where it was and how it might be
exercised. That has happened with the Native Title legislation.
I think this community of ours feels much better about reconciliation because
of the passage of that Bill. I think they think that a wrong has been set right
and though there has been disagreement in a political sense about it, in the
end fundamentals invariably triumph and truth prospers and I have got no
doubt that our community today is more at one with itself than it has ever
been not totally at one, otherwise I'm sure Pat and the Council would
believe their work was finished and they couldn't possibly believe that. And,
we will have much to do in developing that reconciliation further, but now
there is that force to it. It is not just a Council meeting in the, sort of,
amorphous problems of Australia and trying to reconcile the interests and
aspirations of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people with those of non-
Aboriginal Australians.
Land, of course, has always been central to an understanding of Aboriginal
and Torres Strait Islander culture. The Native Title Act is about land, the
Land Fund Bill we are currently debating is about land for those who have
long ago lost a traditional association with the land, but shouldn't be denied
the right to acquire it or to live with it. So, that has got to be put right and
over time there will be in these fundamental things a basis of reconciliation
which we can then draw down for broader community support. I particularly
noticed the report of the Centenary of Federation Advisory Committee in
August which found that reconciliation is central to Australia's aspirations as
we approach the next century I think, a wise observation Premiers, Chief
Ministers, Opposition Leaders, RSLs, CWAs, youth councils, womens
electoral lobbies, local government, religious leaders, unions and business
organisations all nominated reconciliation as a major goal. This is a gigantic
step forward. This wouldn't have been so not so long ago.
As you know, I have just come back from a meeting of the Leaders of the
Asia-Pacific area who have done an important thing in deciding to bring the
Americas into a linkage with Asia so that we have an Asia-Pacific community
and that we don't see the world break up into three trading blocs in Europe,
in the Americas and in Asia. We have had this debate all my political life,
anyway, about the north south dialogue and for the first time one can see a
real and tangible expression when a group sits down as this group did this
week to see the big powerful economies of the United States and Japan
dealing with and comprehending the problems and making arrangements to
deal with them with developing countries like Indonesia and China and Papua
New Guinea and some others.
You get the feeling that there is something good happening in the world, that
the Cold War which left these tremendous polarities and tensions, where
countries were bound up by this strategic tension, that having gone what has
blossomed is that which was most unlikely because this body APEC just
never had to happen. There was no logical reason why it happened, there
may be some logics in it, but it did happen and it has happened out of good
will and co-operation. We can only play a part in it if we go to the world as
one nation, as a nation united and not a nation in any way divided. That is
why Australians need to be clear about their identity and proud of it. But, that
identity must include the identity of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders.
That is why you can't go hobbling to the world saying, " please put us in the
big race, but by the way, our indigenes don't have a real part of it and by the.
way, we are still borrowing the monarchy of another country."
So, feeling good about yourself doesn't happen unless it is genuine. It can
only be genuine if there is, I think, a goodness of spirit and something where
things are done, things are given, concessions are made and these, I think,
we are seeking to do with the Native Title Act and with the Land Fund and
other things, but more obviously, perhaps, by giving of ourselves, each of us,
towards something better.
So, that is what it must mean reconciliation it must mean that we reject the
notions that there is some sort of preordained right to the benefits of this
country to non-Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians, that we have
really got to basically do it together and in the doing of it, that the
metamorphosis will mean we are a different country than the one we have
always been. No longer a mono culture and particularly with our multicultural
community and reconciliation with our older community we then, I think, do go
as one.
That means, I think, that the work can go on. Because there have been times
during the Council's life where we wondered whether work would go on,
whether it wouldn't peter out, just another attempt, add good will, basically
drying up in the face of intransigence and bias and prejudice. Well, I think,
there is enough around now and the fact that we can, in all honesty, receive
this Report with what it means, and have the President and the Speaker
accept it on behalf of the Parliament and the-nation is a logical interim step, a
report on the progress of reconciliation.
So, to all those people who have been involved the community
organisations, the industrial companies, the mining companies, the
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pastoralists, the Land Councils, the Aboriginal and Islander communities and
those who have served on the Council might I add a congratulations and the
very best of good wishes for the future of the council and its important work.
S' Thank you.