Categories: australia
Date: 26 May 2007 05:36:18
Tomorrow marks the 40th anniversary of the passing of the referendum that ensured Indigenous Australians would be counted in the Census and that also gave the Commonwealth the power to legislate for the benefit of Indigenous people. I confess to some amazement and their not being included in a census until 1967, and while I take heart in the fact that 90.77% of Australians voted for it, the continuining tragic state of the health and welfare of our Indigenous people is something that needs to be addressed, and needs our prayers for action by community leaders and the Government.
Some reflections and reporting from radio programmes on our ABC [Australian, not American :)] can be found here and here. Information on the referendum from the National Archives can be found here.
Tomorrow also marks the start of Reconciliation Week, a week where we can focus on reconciliation [meaning, in Australian terms, the healing and correction of divisions between non-Indigenous and Indigenous Australians], where we can hear about the culture and history of Indigenous Australians, and where we can look to the future and what can be done. The Reconciliation Australia website has further information, including an informative 1967 Referendum Fact Sheet (PDF), and they have recently launched a new site, Reconcile Australia where a number of Australians, well-known and not-so-well-known, talk about what reconciliation means to them.
My prayers for all our Indigeneous Australians, and for the Indigenous people of all countries who are still behind other groups in terms of employment, health, life-expectancy, etc., and for all those who continue to suffer discrimination. Lord, hear our prayer.