LOWITJA THE LOWITJA O’DONOGHUE O’DONOGHUE ORATIONS 2007-2019 ORATIONS THE LOWITJA O’DONOGHUE ORATIONS 2007–2019 Contents Foreword 2007 Black and White together, ‘we shall overcome, some day’ 1 Lowitja O’Donoghue AC CBE DSG 2008 The Journey is Healing: How we go forward after ‘Sorry’ 15 Tim Costello AO 2009 Bringing Black and White Australians Together 27 Jackie Huggins AM and Fred Chaney AO 2010 Walking Together on the Journey of Healing 43 Ray Martin AM 2011 Lowitja O’Donoghue and Native Title: Leadership Pointing the way to Identity, Inclusion and Justice 56 Paul Keating 2012 Of Constitutions, Interventions and Other Melancholy Tales 70 Michael Kirby AC CMG 2013 Healing the Fault Lines: Uniting Politicians, Bureaucrats and NGOs for Improved Outcomes in Aboriginal Health 86 Olga Havnen 2014 Rights, Recognition and Reconciliation 98 Patrick Dodson 2015 Our Constitutional reform dilemma: to win or to delay? 111 Marcia Langton 2016 Lingua Nullius: A Retrospect and Prospect about Australia’s First Languages 123 Lynn Arnold, AO 2017 On Aboriginal Land: Seeking a Place at the Table; Recognising 50 years since the 1967 Referendum 146 Frank Brennan SJ AO 2018 The Uluru Statement from the Heart: One Year On 170 Noel Pearson 2019 Storytelling: Culture, Truth-telling and the Arts 179 Presented by David Rathman AM PSM FIML References 188 Foreword Don Dunstan was a man of strong convictions, none more profound than his dedication to the cause of social justice. His exposure to bigotry and the injustices experienced by the Indigenous Fijians during his childhood, and the treatment and dislocation of the for all peoples. Narungga peoples in Point Pearce, solidified his desire to fight for a more just society Throughout his years as a lawyer, and his tenure as a parliamentarian, his almost multiculturalism, and the steering of the Whitlam Government to remove references zealot-like determination to fight for justice was recognised through his embrace of to White Australia in Australia’s immigration policy. His relationship with the Indigenous communities in South Australia was unparalleled – his attitudes toward Indigenous affairs causing a seismic shift in the way government policy was conducted in this country. He built strong, lifelong friendships with many Indigenous Elders including Lowitja O’Donoghue. Don became the third and last, non-Aboriginal President of the Federal Council for the Advancement of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders (FCAATSI), which was responsible for the 1967 Referendum. This democratic choice represented a fundamental change in the way Australians thought of the Aboriginal community, as well as opening the door to dynamic new initiatives to help advance Aboriginal peoples within colonial Australia. The Don Dunstan Foundation is currently working on a number of collaborative projects to inspire action for a fairer world. Building on the legacy of the late Premier, Aboriginal Economic Empowerment and Reconciliation. the Foundation has five main priority areas, including an unwavering focus on Jointly, we present the yearly Lowitja O’Donoghue Oration in Bonython Hall at the University of Adelaide – taking place during Reconciliation Week. Interestingly, the 1967 Australian Referendum. very first Oration was presented by Lowitja herself on the 40th anniversary of the Throughout Lowitja’s extensive career, she has had the opportunity to work with incredible people, whose passion and life-long work have been to promote Reconciliation. With an extensive knowledge of those around her, Lowitja selects each year’s Orator, drawing on topics that are timely and relevant to the audience. Lowitja has chosen many great speakers, including Noel Pearson, Paul Keating and Marcia Langton. All of the Orators have contributed passionately to the conversation, often leaving the audience with a sense of ambition to build on the necessary steps towards Reconciliation. The Orations have featured a wide array of topics from Aboriginal health through to storytelling and the preservation of artefacts. Filled with truth-telling, spirit and prosperity for the future, we hope that by reading these emotive orations, you are inspired to take action for a fairer world through the Reconciliation process. Hon. Rev. Dr Lynn Arnold, AO Chairperson Board of Directors A National Living Treasure Each year, the Don Dunstan Foundation and Reconciliation SA present the Lowitja O’Donoghue Oration, named in honour of Dr O’Donoghue AC CEB DSG. Now in its 13th year and held annually in Reconciliation Week, the Lowitja O’Donoghue Oration originally marked the 40th anniversary of the historic Australian Referendum in 1967. issues that still need to be addressed within today’s society. The Oration brings together leaders in their field to discuss prominent reconciliation Lowitja is an Aboriginal woman of the Yankuntjatjara peoples of Central Australia, who has dedicated her life to improving the welfare of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. Lowitja was born in 1932 to an Aboriginal woman, Lily, and an Irish man, Tom, whom she never met. Lowitja became part of the Stolen Generation at just 2 years old, and was sent to a children’s home in the Flinders Ranges. Fortunately an Auntie and Uncle later recognised Lowitja and she became reunited with her mother. Aboriginal nurse in South Australia in 1954. After a long struggle with the Royal Adelaide Hospital, Lowitja became the first Lowitja has had an extraordinary career advancing the rights of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples, becoming a member of the Aboriginal Legal Rights Movement between 1970-72, then becoming the Regional Director of the Australian Department of Aboriginal Affairs. 1976. In 1977, Lowitja was appointed the foundation Chair of the National Aboriginal Lowitja is the first Aboriginal woman to be awarded an Order of Australia (AO) in Conference, and Chair of the Aboriginal Development Commission. 1990 saw Lowitja appointed as the founding Chairperson of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Commission (ATSIC), where she played a key role in drafting the Native Title legislation which arose from the historic Mabo decision. Following stepping down from the ATSIC, Lowitja became the inaugural Chair of the Co-operative Research Centre for Aboriginal and Tropical Health (1996-2003), which led into the Co-operative Research Centre for Aboriginal Health (2003-2009), and later the Lowitja Institute Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Co-operative Research Centre (2014-2019). Lowitja’s work has been widely recognised through numerous awards and accolades. Lowitja became a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in 1983, then person to address the United Nations General Assembly. Lowitja also received the Australian of the Year in 1984, and in the same year, she became the first Aboriginal Advance Australia Award in 1982, was named a National Living Treasure in 1998, and awarded Companion of the Order of Australia (AC) in 1999. Lowitja is also a Dame of the Order of St Gregory the Great (DSG), a Papal honour, awarded in 2005. Alongside all these achievements, Lowitja has also been recognised by Universities and Colleges across the country, holding an Honorary Doctorate of Law from the Australian National University and the Notre Dame University, as well as an Honorary Doctorate from Flinders University, the Australian National University, the University of South Australia and the Queensland University of Technology. Lowitja also is an Honorary Fellow of both the Royal Australian College of Physicians and the Royal College of Nursing, as well as a Professional Fellow at Flinders University since 2000. Lowitja is a Patron of the Don Dunstan Foundation and each year selects who the speaker will be for the Lowitja O’Donoghue Oration. We share the following Orations to help advance the cause of reconciliation in Australia, and in memory of the friendship between Don Dunstan and Lowitja O’Donoghue. Laura Hughson Don was a man whose life was marked by great achievements, accolades and the holding of lives of all South Australians regardless of their race or class. high office. Yet he was a man of the people. He had the common touch. And he touched the In both his friendships and his public life Don was unwavering. His vision of a good and just society motivated everything he worked for and determined the way he dealt with people – with respect, gentleness and compassion. Lowitja O’Donoghue, 12 February 1999 Black and White together, 'we shall overcome, some day' 2007 Black and White together, ‘we shall overcome, some day’ Presented by Dr Lowitja O’Donoghue AC CBE DSG 1 THE LOWITJA O’DONOGHUE ORATIONS I acknowledge the Kaurna people, the traditional owners of this country on which we sit. I pay my respects to them, to their elders past and present, and acknowledge It is a very great honour to be here tonight, in Reconciliation Week, to mark with you their special place as the first nation of this place. the 40th anniversary of the 1967 Referendum. oration in my name. I am proud to have my name linked with his in this ongoing way. I feel humbled that the Don Dunstan Foundation has seen fit to name an annual I just hope that I can kick it off with the style and gutsiness Don would approve of. I know one thing – I’ll be much more relaxed during the 2008 Lowitja O’Donoghue Oration, when someone else will be giving it! I miss Don Dunstan. In so many ways. I regarded Don as a personal friend and as a great champion of Aboriginal causes. Many of my people knew him well and loved him, as I did. At his Memorial celebration on 12 February 1999, I said: Don was man whose life was marked by great achievements, accolades and the holding of lives of all South Australians regardless of their race or class. high office.