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Statement of Commitment to Australian Reconciliation
The University of South Australia seeks to respond to today's challenges
of nationhood and national identity in a way that comprehends the past
and gives hope for the future.
This statement expresses the University of South Australia's public
commitment to the achievement of Australian Reconciliation between
Indigenous and non-Indigenous people, a commitment based firmly on:
- acknowledgment of the unique position of Aboriginal and Torres
Strait Islander people as the Indigenous peoples of Australia and the
original owners of this land, and recognition of their loss of land,
children, languages, health and kin
- the belief that reconciliation is a prerequisite for Australia to
reach a mature nationhood which acknowledges the past, understands the
present, and faces a future confidently based on the co-existence of
rights
- acceptance that educational institutions have a particularly
valuable contribution to make to the process of reconciliation by
educating the Australian community about the cultures, languages,
history and contemporary experiences of Australia's Indigenous peoples
- the University of South Australia's special responsibility to
provide leadership in the areas of Indigenous research and education,
by virtue of its founding Act.
Endorsed by the University of South Australia Council, September
1997.
Extracts from a public forum held at the University of South Australia
in May, 1997
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