Background Knowledge

The 2019 theme for National Reconciliation Week is Grounded in Truth: Walk together with Courage. This theme reminds us that at the heart of reconciliation is the relationship between the broader Australian community and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. To foster positive race relations, our relationship must be grounded in a foundation of truth.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples have long called for a comprehensive process of truth-telling about Australia’s colonial history. Our nation’s past is reflected in the present, and will continue to play out in future unless we heal historical wounds.

Today, 80 per cent of Australians believe it is important to undertake formal truth-telling processes, according to the 2018 Australian Reconciliation Barometer. Australians are ready to come to terms with our history as a crucial step towards a unified future, in which we understand, value and respect each other.

To complement this year’s NRW theme, Grounded in Truth: Walk together with Courage, the NRW 2019 poster is designed around a central “tree of truth” image. The tree of truth is what happens when the seeds of empathy, solidarity and love are sown; this is a representation of the reconciled community that all Australians can grow into, if we’re able to honestly and holistically acknowledge our shared history, learn from it, and move forward together courageously.