We are currently in the middle of Reconciliation Week for 2025, with this year’s theme of Bridging Now to Next, which reflects the connection between the past, the present and the future.
This year’s artwork was created by Kalkadoon woman, Bree Buttenshaw, who incorporated many native plants to symbolise the significance of growth, reflection and commitment to walking together.
The dates of Reconciliation Week are significant of the 1967 referendum, May 27th, and the 1992 High Court Mabo Decision, June 3rd, which were both significant events in Australia’s journey towards reconciliation.
The 1967 referendum sought to amend the Constitution to include First Nations People in the census and was also successful in allowing the federal government to create laws for them.
The 1992 High Court Mabo Decision overturned the concept of terra nullius, the land belonging to no one, returning the native title rights of the land to First Nations People.
“We all have a role to play when it comes to reconciliation, and in playing our part, we collectively build relationships and communities that value Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, histories, cultures, and futures.”
Additional resource: we have created First Nations Language Map in attempt to emphasis the magnitude of language, dialects, and even clans, that make up the First Nations culture. Please note that it is a visual representation, so the boundary borders are not precise.
You can find information and multimedia activities about Reconciliation week in the following locations of the secondary resource:
- Unit 25 – Part 8 – Page 9
- Unit 43 – Part 8 – Page 6
- Unit 44 – Part 7 – Page 21
