Are we there yet, how will we even know?

Are we there yet, how will we even know?

Reconciliation. How will we know when we are there? ?

In the closing days of the Referendum for recognition of First Nations in our founding rule book, I thought ‘now more than ever’ our nation needs this Yes. In the wake of the shattering rejection of our Indigenous offer to walk together towards reconciliation, it’s obvious, ‘now what’? ?

Do we need to go back to the drawing board and agree on what reconciliation looks like?

How will we know if we are there, if we have reached reconciliation? How can the reconciliation journey, a commitment to Indigenous equity and inclusion, be absolved from party politics? ?

The Uluru Statement from the Heart, a consensus Indigenous position created through the largest engagement process in the nation’s history (with bipartisan support), could not prevail over the political contest. So now what? ?

Despite the widespread heavy heartedness, agony of alienation amongst our mobs, we still seek to belong in this place, our home, that has rejected us. We have nowhere else to go, we still want in. ?

So, what of this week? The National Reconciliation Week website tells us it is: ‘For all Australians to learn about our shared histories, cultures, and achievements, and to explore how each of us can contribute to achieving reconciliation in Australia.” ?

That’s nice, but what is ‘reconciliation’, what does ‘achieving reconciliation’ mean?

The website information?goes on: “In a just, equitable and reconciled Australia, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children will have the same life chances and choices as non-Indigenous children, and the length and quality of a person’s life will not be determined by their racial background.”

And that is bang on!

We want a better relationship between the original peoples and those who came from overseas and we have ambitions for gaining equality and equity in Australian society. These pieces will create a reconciled nation. We need to commit to a new vision of unity, understanding and forgiveness, and set in place a serious commitment to closing the gap of disadvantage and participation, that will endure election cycles, and go beyond this generation. We have a two to three generational challenge in front of us so we will need to do better than we have so far.

In Cape York and other remote Indigenous areas there is a life expectancy gap of 20 years, a long life is 58 years, but the average is 49 for a Dad and 51 for a Mum.?The gap in median earnings, between the national average and Indigenous Cape York is $70k. When we have closed the gaps, we will have broken the back of reconciliation. We will have broken through the structural barriers upholding the current inertia.

I had hoped that Recognition in October last year was the starting point for this renewed relationship. The invitation included the idea of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples having a voice to influence the policy programs and laws made about us. I cannot see how we can close the gap without addressing the structural barriers preventing progress.

Our problem is structural. ?

We want to take responsibility for making the most of our lives and be fairly rewarded for our efforts. But circumstances bestow advantage to some and disadvantage to others. And for those born unlucky in Australia, the welfare and service delivery system serve only to reinforce and magnify early disadvantage, rather than helping to address it. ?

Children in Queensland’s disadvantaged places, for example, start school behind and fall progressively further behind. Our system fails spectacularly at catching up those kids who need the fair go offered by a decent education the most. ?

A failed education in turn propels disadvantaged young people on a trajectory of poorer outcomes later in life—including poor employment, income, wealth, and health outcomes, and often trouble with the law. Disadvantage becomes even more entrenched. ?

When a lifetime of poor outcomes can be so reliably predicted for a child yet to even be born, but who will be born into circumstances of disadvantage—as is the case under Closing the Gap targets and trajectories for Indigenous Australians suffering the most forms of extreme disadvantage—it is clear society has a structural inequality problem. ?

Welfare dependency, land use to develop the economy, access to quality education, these all require structural ability and all of this happens in Brisbane and Canberra. Indigenous people need to influence the priorities.

You all saw how vitally important it is for all Australians to support this journey. Our discreet communities voted Yes for a voice arrangement while just 30 minutes down the road, the non-indigenous community said No to them. Those communities with most at stake, our remote and most disadvantaged families deserve the opportunity for a voice in their future. ?

There is currently no clear path towards reconciliation or closing the gap, it is just a metric, without a means.? ?

There is good news though, we have 6.5 million reasons to be optimistic about the future. There remains a massive groundswell of Australians who are not giving up. And nor will I.

We must double down on pulling together for the sake of our grandchildren, to ensure they inherit a better nation, a nation genuinely on the journey to reconciliation.

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