Talkin' Up Reconciliation, the first ever NSW Reconciliation Convention, was organised by the NSW State Reconciliation Committee (SRC).It was held at the Wollongong Entertainment Centre from 13-15 August 1999.
It was the first statewide reconciliation event, and was timed to provide an early public response to the Document of Reconciliation being developed by the Council for Aboriginal Reconciliation. And with the formal national process of reconciliation due to finish at the end of Yr 2000, the Convention provided the opportunity to explore ways in which the People's Reconciliation Movement could continue into the next millenium. The Convention was preceded by a series of Regional workshops held around the State.
The Convention took place amidst growing public debate on important national issues. These included the question of a Federal Government apology to the Stolen Generations (as recommended in the Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission's Bringing Them Home Report), and the wording to the proposed preamble to the Australian Constitution. The question of a referendum on a Republic, the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games, and the Centenary of Federation celebrations were also on the national agenda.
The issues and opportunities presented by these events were not lost on convention participants. As Linda Burney, Chair of the SRC, pointed out in her opening address, Indigenous issues are not going away. How they are responded to will be the test of the maturity of the nation and the legacy we leave our children and grandchildren. Reconciliation, at the end of the 20th Century is as important as ever.
The Aims of the Convention were:
Throughout the Convention, several major themes recurred:
Education . The importance of education to the reconciliation process was one of the strongest elements of each of the speeches and workshops. One recommendation which reflected this was that Aboriginal studies, including Aboriginal languages, should be a compulsory part of school education and teacher training.
Cultural awareness .
the need for cultural awareness training was raised in many workshops. One recommendation was that cultural awareness training be compulsory for all government, community and private sector agencies that deal with Aboriginal people and communities.
Constitutional recognition and political participation. A consistent theme was a need to ensure legislative and constitutional protection of Indigenous rights.
In addition, Indigenous representation in government was needed. Recommendations reflecting these principles included that the Australian Constitution recognise Indigenous rights in relation to the land and waters, culture, political participation and other matters.
It was recommended that the rights of Indigenous peoples should be enshrined in all tiers of government and protected in a legislative framework, and that this framework should be informed by a policy of self-determination.
Thirty-one workshops were held on various topics, with recommendations from each adopted at the Final Plenary session. The topics covered were: