National Reconciliation Week begins on 27 May and ends on 3 June. These dates commemorate two significant milestones in the reconciliation journey — the successful 1967 referendum, and the High Court Mabo decision.
National Reconciliation Week is a time for us all to learn about our shared histories, cultures, and achievements, and to explore how each of us can contribute to achieving reconciliation in Australia.
The theme for National Reconciliation Week 2023 is Be a Voice for Generations.
The theme encourages all Australians to be a voice for reconciliation in tangible ways in our everyday lives – where we live, work and socialise.
Here’s how you can embrace the spirit of reconciliation this week:
Be inspired by Shelley Reys AO at our Employee Forum
Shelley Reys AO
Join us at 2pm Tuesday, 30 May to hear Shelley Reys AO present on “Australia’s reconciliation journey and the Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP) program”.
Shelley Reys AO is a Djiribul woman of far north Queensland and a leader in the corporate, Indigenous and reconciliation spaces for nearly three decades. She is known for her leading work with the national apology to the Stolen Generations and the broader national reconciliation movement as the inaugural Co-Chair of Reconciliation Australia.
To get a sense of Shelley Reys’s captivating presentation style, watch her empowering TED Talk: “Deliver an Acknowledgement of Country that really means something.”
Shelley has been involved in Australia’s quest for a reconciled nation since its formal inception in 1991. At our Employee Forum, she will reflect on that journey, and where Monash Health finds itself today, as we develop our 2023-2025 Reconciliation Action Plan this year.
Please join us at 2pm via Webex.
Be an ally and use this MS Teams background during National Reconciliation Week
Show your support for reconciliation in meetings this week and download this National Reconciliation Week Teams background.
Be a reconciliation champion and host an event for your ward or office
Anyone can host a reconciliation event or activity. It may be as simple as a short meeting with your team to recognise Reconciliation Week, or finding a creative way to express what reconciliation means to you. It’s an important way to promote the spirit of reconciliation, and to convert that spirit into action.
You can find examples of events on Reconciliation Australia’s website.
Be a Voice for Generations
Reconciliation Australia has a list of ways you can be a powerful voice for change and reconciliation.
As we approach a historic juncture in the journey of reconciliation in this country, we look forward to the publication of the Monash Health 2023-2025 Reconciliation Action Plan.
Approved by Martin Keogh, Chief Operating Officer