reconciliation at a tense juncture in race relations, but many Aboriginal
leaders said they were being asked to compromise for the sake of 'progress'.
They felt that to 'swallow their pain' and remain silent in the face of continuing
provocation would be a kind of collective betrayal.
The Prime Minister John Howard arrived at the convention with a warning: the
government intended to advance with curbs on Aboriginal claims. When he rose
to give his main address much of the audience stood, too. Then many quietly
turned their backs. It was an extraordinary moment. The Premier, clearly insulted,
said that if they would not do business with him they would face a far more
hostile future in the form of the
extremist White Australia parties. Clearly the early steps towards reconciliation
have yet to be taken.
The aspiration of the meeting was laudable, but dialogue was impossible. Many
Aboriginal people felt they were merely dealing with the ingrained hatreds
that had rationalised their dispossession for generations. Since so little
has been done to acknowledge the genocidal effects of colonial policy, many
feel they must at least bear witness to it. The Premier asked how was he personally
or white Australia in general to be held responsible for the actions of previous
generations?
In New Zealand the recognition of diverse histories is more advanced. Here
the British signed their one treaty with an