Government responsible for 'practical reconciliation'

By Khyiah Angel

The Government is responsible for practical reconciliation, keynote speaker Canterbury MP Linda Burney told Federation's Aboriginal Members Conference on April 2.

Ms Burney spoke passionately about the need for the Federal Government and its people to own its truth if it was serious about continuing the move toward reconciliation. She said acknowledging historical events and the various government responses to them over the years were important if we are to make positive changes for the future of our children.

"The Government is responsible for practical reconciliation," Ms Burney said.

"Having access to services, utilities, education and health care is a fundamental right of Aboriginal communities but this government is dressing these services as something they are doing 'especially' for the indigenous population. It is a move back to a 1950s way of dealing with Aboriginal populations."

Ms Burney went on to speak about the recent Aboriginal Education Review that was undertaken by the Department of Education and Training.

"The review needed to focus more on early childhood education and the transition years where children move from pre-school to primary school and primary school to high school," Ms Burney said.

"It contains a hundred million dollars worth of change, but a lot more needs to be done before it can be presented in a tangible way to Aboriginal communities. In its present form it is an unintelligible bureaucratic document."

Aboriginal teachers from across NSW attended the conference, with the theme "Growth, Strength, Survival".

The conference was an opportunity for Aboriginal teachers in the state's primary and high schools, both city and country, to hear a variety of speakers and participate in workshops on issues relevant to their schools, their students and their careers.

Federation President Maree O'Halloran spoke about "scary times under the current federal government". She reminded teachers to stay focussed on the needs of the kids in public schools despite continued government attacks on public education and public school teachers.

"Prime Minister Howard doesn't believe everyone is equal and he funds accordingly. Using policy, he is trying to change the world we live in a negative rather than positive way. We, as teachers, need to work together and stand united to show him we don't agree with his views," Ms O'Halloran said.

Other speakers included Aboriginal Education Consultative Group (AECG) President Dave Ella, who spoke about the need for a united approach to developing relevant curriculum aimed at improving outcomes for indigenous students.

"It's important for all the agencies to work together...only then can we expect to see positive outcomes for our Aboriginal kids," he said.

The response of the teachers attending the conference was very positive. Federation Aboriginal Education Coordinator Charline Emzin-Boyd said it was great to see so many teachers come together to share ideas and experiences.

"We can learn as much from each other's experiences in the classroom as from the various representatives from the different agencies involved with Aboriginal education," Ms Emzin-Boyd said.

Brewarrina Central School teacher Melissa Kirby said: "It's important for Aboriginal teachers to be able to network with each other and find ways to maintain ties with our cultural heritage in the classroom. One way to have a say about the future of Aboriginal education is to become involved in the consultation process and be active in our schools and our communities.

Wade High School teacher Troy Williams, in his second year of teaching, said the conference made him feel empowered about his rights as a teacher.

"It's good to know there is a union supporting us when we're in schools," he said.

Khyiah Angel is the relieving Administration Officer (Media and Communications).

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