(1)   Can the Minister confirm that on 3 October 1998 the Prime Minister committed the Government to the cause of true reconciliation with the Aboriginal people of Australia by the Centenary of Federation; if not, why not.

(2)   Has the Minister read the article titled ‘Reconciliation a must, says Howard’ in The Age on 14 December 2000 which reported the Prime Minister as saying Australia’s priority should be to strengthen support for reconciliation between blacks and whites and the mood of the community was now “overwhelmingly in favour of reconciliation” and “an unstoppable force”.

(3)   Has the Minister read the article titled ‘Reconciliation: Howard’s unfinished business’ in The Canberra Times on 8 November 2001 which reported that the Prime Minister failed to deliver reconciliation in his second term and has now dedicated the Government to achieving practical reconciliation, “a term coined by his government to bury the rights agenda and focus instead on education, health, unemployment and housing”.

(4)   Has the Minister read the article titled ‘PM vows to aid Aboriginal cause’ in The Age on 6 December 2004 which reports that the Prime Minister is prepared to go more than halfway to meet indigenous leaders to fix Aboriginal problems.

(5)   Will the Minister explain the difference between ‘reconciliation’ and ‘practical’ reconciliation’.

(6)   Why did Australia fail to achieve reconciliation by the Centenary of Federation and what progress had been made toward achieving this commitment.

(7)   Can the Minister say when Australia will achieve lasting reconciliation between indigenous and non-indigenous Australians.

(1)   Yes.

(2)   Yes.

(3)   Yes.

(4)   Yes.

(5)   Reconciliation involves both symbolic and practical measures. At a symbolic level for example, the Government has sponsored the development of Reconciliation Place within the Parliamentary Triangle and at a practical level it has focused on education, employment and health, increasing spending on related Indigenous programs by 39 percent in real terms since 1996.

(6)   Reconciliation is an ongoing process that will not be complete until Indigenous inequality and disadvantage are finally eliminated. By 2001 however, significant progress had been made. There have been considerable improvements in the rate of Indigenous home ownership, the proportion of Indigenous students completing high school, Indigenous private sector employment, household occupancy rates and health indicators. In addition, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people now have title to, and maintain and manage, around 20% of the land area of Australia.

(7)   Reconciliation is an ongoing responsibility of all Australians. The legacy of history and of past policy mistakes will not be remedied in the short term.