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Reconciliation celebrations to go ahead The World Today - Monday, February 28, 2000 12:48 JOHN HIGHFIELD: Well members of the Reconciliation Council say they're surprised and disappointed by the Prime Minister's remarks, just like Kim Beazley, and at least one member is questioning whether there's a connection between the Prime Minister's comments and the leaking of damaging Council research on the subject. But regardless of the political climate the Council says it will go ahead with its celebrations on 27 May this year. That's National Reconciliation Day, officially billed as Corroboree 2000 it will be a major marker day as the Council hands its reconciliation document to the Australian people. Eleanor Hall reports. ELEANOR HALL: The Deputy Chair of the Reconciliation Council, Sir Gustav Nossal, was on his way to Seattle when the Prime Minister's comments hit the news. Speaking to us from Seattle he says that having met John Howard only last week he would be shocked if the Prime Minister in any way intended to undermine the reconciliation process. GUSTAV NOSSAL: Now look, we did discuss the question of arbitrary deadlines and we agree with him that reconciliation is not an instant fix, it's not like a clap of thunder, it's not like something that happens from one day to the next. What we believe, however, is that probably 2000 will be a major step, a major stepping stone in the pathway to reconciliation, a major alert for the whole country, and we think the declaration will be poetic, meaningful, timeless, enduring, very stirring, and we're working hard to ensure that it is just that. I think that the Corroboree 2000 will go ahead but Council has a budget, which I might say the Government has generously provided, so we're not in any doubt about the Corroboree 2000 going ahead. ELEANOR HALL: But if Corroboree 2000 is a major step forward in reconciliation how seriously is it undermined by this revelation from the Prime Minister merely months beforehand that he will not, he sees no point indeed to the deadline and he won't hold to it. GUSTAV NOSSAL: Eleanor, you keep referring to a document that I have not seen and however hard you try you will not trap me into saying anything against the Prime Minister who's been extremely helpful and extremely cordial. I cannot read the Prime Minister's mind. ELEANOR HALL: But another member of the Reconciliation Council, and the author the reconciliation document, Jackie Huggins is less coy. JACKIE HUGGINS: Look, I would be lying if I said that it certainly wasn't an issue and we would hope that the Prime Minister of Australia would have taken his leadership role, particularly in support of our process. ELEANOR HALL: Jackie Huggins is particularly concerned that the Prime Minister's comments may have been motivated by political opportunism. She says, although the Council has found a lot of support for reconciliation some negative Council research showing a backlash against reconciliation has found its way into the media. JACKIE HUGGINS: As a independent body and a council I'm very surprised that the social research would be leaked to the general public and certainly to the media. ELEANOR HALL: Do you believe that the Prime Minister has based his comments today in some way on that research? JACKIE HUGGINS: Oh yes I think that's fairly evident. I think the research has had a great bearing on how the Prime Minister has spoken about the deadline, yes. And I think that kind of research can be quite awesome and quite terrifying in the sense if you don't balance it with what other people of goodwill and of awareness on reconciliation issues say about reconciliation. I think the Prime Minister has to realise that there has been ten years of very hard work that has gone into this process of reconciliation. We're saying now that this is the end result and we would hope that the Prime Minister respects our wishes. ELEANOR HALL: Hasn't the Prime Minister made it fairly clear that he at least doesn't respect the document. He said that, you know, too much store has been put in the document itself and indeed that he wouldn't have set up the process himself had he been given the opportunity. JACKIE HUGGINS: Oh well look he was all part of the opportunity. In fact in 1991 there was a bipartisan agreement that the process of reconciliation would proceed. Now his party, and all parties have voted for that. We would hope that we can finish on that note where all parties, and particularly the Prime Minister, you know, have accepted the reconciliation process. JOHN HIGHFIELD: Jackie Huggins, an elder from the Reconciliation Council speaking to Eleanor Hall. |
