Project Description
In recognition of this year’s Sorry Day, Griffith University hosted Truth-telling, now more than ever, a panel discussion about why truth-telling and healing is such an important step towards true reconciliation in Australia. This event was held in-person on the Gold Coast and live via Teams.
National Sorry Day, held in the lead up to National Reconciliation Week, is a day for Australians to remember and acknowledge the mistreatment of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people who were forcibly removed from their families and communities, now known as ‘The Stolen Generations’. It is a day to acknowledge the strength of Stolen Generation Survivors and reflect on how we can all play a part in the healing process of our people and nation.
Having a better understanding of Australia with a complete and historically accurate national narrative benefits the whole nation, as we learn from rather than repeat the wrongs of the past. Truth-telling is intended to create new relationships between First Peoples and non-Indigenous peoples, drive positive change and acceptance, combined with a forward moving process of responsibility, action and accountability
Project Personnel and Beneficiaries
Panel Members
Professor Cindy Shannon AM – past DVC (I) and head of Logan campus
Eddie Synot – Lecturer Griffith Law School
Professor Elena Marchetti – Co-Director Disrupting Violence Beacon and Griffith Law School
Professor Peter Anderson – Director Indigenous Research Unit
Facilitating Panel Discussions
Professor AJ Brown AM – Public Policy & Law Program Leader | Integrity, Leadership & Public Trust Centre for Governance & Public Policy
Professor Scott Harrison – PVC AEL and Assistant Vice Chancellor (Cultural Curation and Community Partnerships)
Event Organisation
Tina O’Keefe – DVCI Project Officer, Reconciliation Statement
DVCI Staff
GU M&C/Media/IT/Events
Unisuper provided the morning tea purchased from an Indigenous supplier.
This panel discussion was presented for the benefit of Griffith University staff and students. The video of the panel discussion was made available on Griffith’s external facing NRW 2024 webpage for the benefit of our wider community.
Outcomes to Date
Over 150 staff registered to view the event online and 55 attended in person.
Additionally, there were 333 unique views of the recording on the National Reconciliation Week 2024 website.
Recent studies have shown that when non-Indigenous people participate in truth-telling with First Nations communities, it helps to build a deeper shared understanding of the past and the achievements of First Nations peoples. This is why truth-telling can be seen as a collective social responsibility and non-Indigenous Australians are crucial participants.
It is difficult to measure the impact of this panel event on Griffith University staff and students, however, an estimated 650 Griffith University staff and students have subsequently continued to pursue reconciliation through attending DVCI cultural competency workshops, events and initiatives in 2024.
Project Significance
Reconciliation between Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and non-Indigenous people is a crucial step towards achieving the Sustainable Development Goals of Quality Education (4), Reduced Inequalities (10) and Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions (16) (SDGs) and sustainable development.
Truth-telling can be understood in very broad terms as including activities or processes that have sought to recognise and engage with a fuller account of Australia’s history and its current legacy. It can be argued that true reconciliation cannot occur outside of the truth-telling process.
Truth-telling is also about an active reclaiming of agency, identity, pride, respect, self-determination and sovereignty in the face of attempts since colonisation to erase Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples’ presence in the Australian nation-state, its landscape and its history.
Panel discussions like the one described aim to empower and advocate for the social inclusion of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. These discussions ensure that staff and students gain the necessary knowledge and skills to advance sustainable development through a human rights perspective, fostering an effective, accountable, and inclusive university environment.