Reconcilliation statement
This statement is made by academic and administrative members of the Women's Executive Development (WEXDEV) Program within the five universities that together constitute the Australian Technology Network (ATN)*; and demonstrates a commitment to a process whereby a reconciliation between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians will be achieved.
We commend and support the Council for Aboriginal Reconciliation who, since 1992, have worked towards the vision of creating a united Australia which respects this land of ours; values the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander heritage; and provides justice and equity for all.
The achievement of reconciliation between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians is fundamental to enabling all young Australians to develop to their full potential, and so make their own special contributions to the strength and future of the overall Australian community. It is about assuring the future development and vitality of all Australian communities; and a confident and shared sense of Australian nationhood.
Reconciliation is about the moral fibre of the nation, where we stand in the international community, how we go forward into the next century, how we write our history together. It is about co-existence.(Dr Lowitja O'Donoghue, The Australian Reconciliation Convention, Melbourne, May 1997.)
Reconciliation must be sustainable over time. For this to occur, the foundations of reconciliation must have broad community support and involvement, rather than being reliant upon a handful of key individuals; and the understanding and commitment of younger generations of Australians. Sustainable reconciliation thus requires that an ongoing commitment is engendered amongst all Australians by inspiring them with a vision of its role in their own existing and future possibilities and those of their communities. It also requires that Australian communities find ways to work together effectively by accommodating differences, distance and current realities in a spirit of mutual respect.
Throughout history women have made, and continue to make, particular contributions to the immediate wellbeing of children and of our communities. As an extension of this role we, as women working in higher education, acknowledge the significance of education to the achievement of reconciliation and commit ourselves to contributing to this process.
* Member universities of the Australian Technology Network are Curtin University, Queensland University of Technology, Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology, University of South Australia, and University of Technology, Sydney.