Page 2465 - Week 07 - Thursday, 3 August 2017

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Question resolved in the affirmative.

Executive business—precedence

Ordered that executive business be called on.

Aboriginal reconciliation

MR RATTENBURY (Kurrajong) (12.02): I move

That this Assembly:

(1) notes:

(a) 27 May 2017 marked the 50 year anniversary of the 1967 referendum which required that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people be counted in the census and gave the Commonwealth Parliament powers to make laws with respect to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people;

(b) 3 June 2017 marked 25 years since the historic Mabo High Court decision which ended the false doctrine of Terra Nullius and recognised the rights of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples over their lands;

(c) on 26 May 2017, delegates to the 2017 First Nations National Constitutional Convention released the Uluru Statement from the Heart, calling for the establishment of a First Nations Voice enshrined in the Australian Constitution and a Makarrata Commission to supervise a process of agreement-making between governments and First Nations and truth-telling about Australian history;

(d) the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Elected Body has been established by the ACT Government as an innovative and unique model underpinning Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community development and self-determination in the ACT;

(e) the theme for National Reconciliation Week, which ran from 27 May-3 June 2017, was “Let’s Take the Next Steps”; and

(f) NAIDOC Week (2-9 July 2017) will celebrate the history, culture and achievements of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, with a focus on the importance, resilience and richness of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander languages;

(2) acknowledges and respects the continuing culture and contribution that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people make to the life of this region;

(3) affirms its commitment to the principles in the Statement of Commitment to Reconciliation and Wellbeing of Communities from the ACT Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Agreement 2015-2018, including:


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