History of the Council
The NSW Reconciliation Council was formed in 1997 as part of a local, state and national structure to support the legislated process of reconciliation. First known as the NSW State Reconciliation Committee (SRC) and chaired by Linda Burney, the Committee provided a bridge between communities and government in the development of reconciliation initiatives in NSW.
The NSW Reconciliation Council was the first State Committee to receive funding from its state government and was able to employ an administrative officer and fund a number of significant projects.
These included the "Travelling Road show", conceived at a public meeting in 1998 to discuss community action in the wake of the rise of One Nation. Six regional communities were visited by a panel of Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal speakers to workshop strategies for communities dealing with the heavy legacy of disadvantage and discrimination.
Download the final report on the "Travelling Road Show"
Three major themes seen as essential to the reconciliation process emerged from the Road show. They were Youth, Citizenship and Land and Culture. The NSW Reconciliation Council used these themes as the basis for a Reconciliation Convention, held in Wollongong in 1999. The 'Talkin' Up Reconciliation' Convention was held over three days with more than 1000 delegates from across the state. Speakers included the Premier, The Hon Bob Carr, Dr Mick Dodson, Dr Faith Bandler, Dr Evelyn Scott and many others. The convention set itself the task of mapping out a future course for reconciliation in this state and provided the first and biggest community consultation on the proposed Documents for Reconciliation.
Recommendations from the convention were forwarded to all relevant authorities for their attention and response.
In 2000, the NSW Reconciliation Council worked closely with the NSW Government and the Council for Aboriginal Reconciliation on Corroboree 2000 and the Sydney Harbour Bridge walk. Support from the NSW Reconciliation Council ensured the success of these two historic events.
