This is what my father, Australia’s 23rd prime minister Robert James Lee Hawke, realised too late about some of the modern history of Australia. And it pained him deeply.
Then PM Bob Hawke with the chair of the Reconciliation Council, Evelyn Scott, at the start of the march for reconciliation across the Sydney Harbour Bridge on May 28, 2000.Like most mainstream urban white Aussies in the 20th century, Dad grew up as part of the majority of the population, having a very British sense of history and culture, with little knowledge and some vague preconceptions about whom Indigenous Australians might be.
Attitudes towards “Aboriginal people”, to the extent we thought about them at all, were shaped by the dominant value of “assimilation”, the idea that the right thing to do, forBob Hawke and daughter Sue back in 1971. I understand the defensiveness of many decent older Australians when they feel they stand accused of racism. Our early exposure simply didn’t give us the knowledge to understand. Racism might have been implicit in the underpinnings of attitudes at the time, but we didn’t see it, it was not, with most of us, ill-intentioned. We were taught assimilation was benevolence!
Dad felt that not doing so helped “business as usual”, helped trauma to continue. He knew from experience that if you want the best outcomes to “intractable” problems, if you want to spend your effort and money wisely, then your best advice must come from the people facing those issues who have seen and felt and analysed what works and what doesn’t. Together.
United Kingdom Latest News, United Kingdom Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Voice opponent Lidia Thorpe says Voice should still be legislated if referendum failsLidia Thorpe, who has campaigned for a No vote in the referendum on a Voice to Parliament, says the Voice should be legislated if the referendum fails and the prime minister would be 'weak' to abandon the proposal.
Read more »
Indigenous voice to parliament: Don’t be surprised if ethnic communities vote No to the VoiceIf polls are correct about the triumph of the No vote, expect large numbers of multicultural voters to be part of the revolt against establishment bodies.
Read more »
Bridging cultures: Why Australia-Japan history looms large for some Voice votersAhead of the impending referendum, First Nations people with Japanese heritage are calling on voters to consider the diversity of Indigenous perspectives.
Read more »
Why Aussies have had enough of the VoiceAussies appear to be tuning out of the Voice to parliament debate in the crucial final week as the horrific conflict in the Middle East threatens to overshadow the historic referendum.
Read more »
联邦议员卡特希望澳洲新硬币铸有澳洲英雄人物而非查尔斯国王头像对于澳大利亚新硬币上将铸有英国国王查尔斯三世的头像，澳大利亚联邦议员鲍勃·卡特（Bob Katter）表示不满。他提出了多个头像替代选择，但没有提到女性。
Read more »
‘Absolutely’: Lidia’s unexpected call on VoiceLidia Thorpe says she’d support a legislated Voice to Parliament despite being one of the referendum’s most outspoken opponents.
Read more »