National Reconciliation Week 2025: Actions, rather than words?
Queensland Teachers' Journal, Vol 130 No 4, 20 June 2025, page no 16.
Where has the time gone? I cannot believe that 12 months has passed since National Reconciliation Week 2024. As I sit pondering what to write for this article, I reflect on the week that was, including my participation as a panellist for the Queensland Curriculum and Assessment Authority (QCAA) Reconciliation and Education event (pictured below). Before, during and after this event, I was uplifted by the words of my fellow panellists as we unpacked what this year’s theme, “Bridging now to next,” means.
From the opening remarks, I was compelled to write “Words are nice but actions matter” on my bit of paper, and this became a common theme for conversations following the panel and for the remainder of the week. I was reminded by a confidant of the words of Yothu Yindi: “Words are easy… but promises can disappear, just like writing in the sand.”
Frequently many individuals and organisations struggle to make their actions and words meet. Therefore, we often see documents and hear words that sound amazing, which if they were actualised would see significant improvements in reconciliation and outcomes for all. Yet we are not there yet.
I wonder if reconciliation is still an elusive dream and how long we will continue to walk the path, repeating what we have always done and questioning “why haven’t things changed?”
I ask of you: What did your organisation do for National Reconciliation Week in 2025?
Were there any events to celebrate the week? If so, was it an obligatory morning tea? And who were the attendees?
These might seem like trivial questions to ask, but the answers matter. National Reconciliation Week should not be about going through the motions. For this week to matter, we ALL need to be conscious and aware of what we are doing, how we are doing it, and, most importantly, why we are doing it.
Very seldom do I think that a top-down approach is the way to navigate First Nations matters; however, in the instance of National Reconciliation Week, it is important that leaders lead by example. As the saying goes “You can only expect what you accept”.
If events were held in your workplace, have these events evolved over time, or have they remained the same? Further, what impact have these had on organisational culture and the way you engage with not only First Nations people, but all people from diverse cultural backgrounds?
The danger in National Reconciliation Week events not evolving or having no impact is they become perfunctory.
As we turn to the impact of actions, rather than words, during this week, I cautiously ask what actions have non-Indigenous leaders and colleagues taken in your organisation to ensure that National Reconciliation Week registered on your radar, or more importantly, during the 51 weeks that are not National Reconciliation Week, as reconciliation should be demonstrated in daily practice?
Has your organisation, or your work group, seen improvements in your relationships with First Nations Peoples? We are a cultural group that places high value on relationships. I have been witness to students and families’ lives being changed due to the power of positive relationships with their teachers and their schools. The same can be said for First Nations staff and the way that non-Indigenous staff interact with them. The most significant way that non-Indigenous staff can demonstrate a desire to build strong relationships with their First Nations colleagues is by implementing strategies that reduce, and where possible eliminate, the Colonial Load faced by many First Nations staff.
As you think about how you demonstrate reconciliation in your daily practice, do you maintain the status quo and risk tokenism or are you introspective and open to growth and evolving to make your workplace safer and richer for all?