Released 25/07/2017
New grants will support local celebrations of the 50th anniversary of the 1967 Referendum and the 25th anniversary of the High Court’s Mabo decision during Reconciliation Week 2017.
The ACT Government will provide $21,000 each to two local organisations to support cultural and family oriented events marking these important national anniversaries.
Canberrans reflected on the significance of the 1967 Referendum throughout the 2017 Heritage Festival and 27 May 2017 will mark 50 years since almost 91 per cent of Australians wrote YES to right the wrongs of the past and enable Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people to be counted in the census.
The Canberra and District NAIDOC Aboriginal Corporation will hold a community day on 27 May at the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Cultural Centre at Yarramundi Reach to mark the 50th anniversary of the 1967 Referendum. The event will feature Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander performances, food stalls and activities for all the family.
In 1992, the High Court of Australia handed down its historic decision declaring terra nullius a fiction, and legally recognising the native title rights of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.
On 3 June, the ACT Torres Strait Islander Corporation will welcome all Canberrans to help celebrate the 25th anniversary of the Mabo decision. Activities will include traditional Torres Strait Islander dancers and performers, traditional craft for sale and a range of children’s activities.
More information on the events will be available soon and I look forward to joining the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community in marking two enormously significant days for our First Peoples and the entire nation.
- Statement ends -
Rachel Stephen-Smith, MLA | Media Releases