National Reconciliation Week begins today, and Bankstown Central is proud to support this important week.

The National Reconciliation Week theme for 2024, Now More Than Ever, is a reminder to all of us that there is still work to do to progress the inclusion and acknowledgment of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in our communities.

Each year National Reconciliation Week is held from 27 May to 3 June. The dates commemorate two significant milestones in Australia’s reconciliation journey.

27 May 1967: On this day, Australia’s most successful referendum saw more than 90 per cent of Australians vote to give the Australian Government power to make laws for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and recognise them in the Census.

3 June 1992: On this day, the Australian High Court delivered the Mabo decision, the culmination of Eddie Koiki Mabo’s challenge to the legal fiction of ‘terra nullius’ (land belonging to no one) and leading to the legal recognition of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as the Traditional Owners and Custodians of lands. This decision paved the way for Native Title.

National Reconciliation Week is a time 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. At Bankstown Central we remain focused on progressing our contribution towards a more equitable, just and reconciled Australia.