Each year from 27 May to 3 June, Australians mark National Reconciliation Week. This week reflects significant moments in our shared history, beginning on the anniversary of the 1967 referendum and concluding on the anniversary of the High Court’s Mabo decision.
National Reconciliation Week is a time to learn about our shared histories, cultures and achievements, and to consider how each of us contributes to reconciliation in our everyday lives. It also invites us to reflect on progresses made, how change is shaped by collective effort, and how equality is experienced in practice.
While there have been important advances, many Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people continue to experience discrimination and exclusion across areas of public life, including employment, education, housing and access to services. These experiences shape not only participation, but outcomes.
In Western Australia, the Equal Opportunity Act 1984 (WA) provides important protections. It makes racial discrimination and racial harassment unlawful in key areas of public life and sets clear expectations for fairness, dignity and respect. These protections are essential in supporting equal opportunity.
At the same time, laws alone cannot ensure equality in lived experience.
This year’s theme, All In, is a clear reminder that reconciliation is not passive. It requires collective effort, shared responsibility and a willingness to move beyond awareness into action. It asks each of us to consider the role we play in shaping inclusive environments, and the impact of our choices, behaviours and systems.
Being “all in” means more than support in principle.
It means creating workplaces where Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people feel safe, respected and able to contribute fully. It means education settings that support identity, culture and belonging. It means recognising where barriers exist, taking steps to address them, and ensuring that the protections in law are reflected in everyday experience.
It also means listening, learning, and being open to understanding experiences that may differ from our own.
Ultimately, National Reconciliation Week invites us to reflect on how we continue to heal the past and move forward, together.
How do we ensure our laws are supported by everyday actions? Where are we creating opportunity, and where do gaps remain? What does it look like, in practice, to be “all in” for a more just and inclusive community?
National Reconciliation Week is an opportunity to recognise both progress and the work still ahead, and to reaffirm a shared commitment to equality of opportunity and equality of outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, and for all Western Australians.
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