National Reconciliation Week 2023

National Reconciliation Week (NRW) 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.

The dates for NRW are the same each year – 27 May to 3 June.

These dates commemorate two significant milestones in the reconciliation journey – the successful 1967 referendum and the High Court Mabo decision respectively.

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.

Reconciliation must live in the hearts, minds, and actions of all Australians as we move forward, creating a nation strengthened by respectful relationships between the wider Australian community, and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.

Facts about National Reconciliation Week

• Started as the Week of Prayer for Reconciliation in 1993 (the International Year of the World’s Indigenous Peoples). Supported by Australia’s major faith communities.
• In 1996, the Council for Aboriginal Reconciliation launched Australia’s first National Reconciliation Week.
• In 2001, Reconciliation Australia was established to continue to provide national leadership on reconciliation.
• In 2001, approximately 300,000 people walked across Sydney Harbour Bridge as part of National Reconciliation Week-and subsequently across bridges in cities and towns to support the reconciliation.

Today, National Reconciliation Week is celebrated across Australia in workplaces, schools and early learning services, community organisations and individuals. Tutt Bryant encourages staff to support and get to know your local Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander communities through activities and events held across the country.

Follow links below to learn more about National Reconciliation Week 2023.

The theme for National Reconciliation Week 2023 is Be a Voice for Generations.

• Factsheet on National Reconciliation Week
• What’s On: National Reconciliation Week 2023 events
• Posters and Resources: Download NRW 2023 resources for print, digital and social media
• Multilingual Resources: Resources for diverse communities in Arabic, Chinese, Greek, Italian, Korean, Punjabi, Spanish, Thai, and Vietnamese

Attend a National Reconciliation Week event? Click here to share your stories.

Celebrating National Reconciliation Week 2023 – Be a Voice for Generations!

SOURCE: Reconciliation Australia | www.reconciliation.org.au