An excerpt from an op-ed in the National Indigenous Times, written by Corey Smith, Project Manager of Towards Truth:
During the referendum campaign I saw some of the worst of our country through racism, denial and misinformation. But I also came to appreciate that many people want progress for Indigenous people that give them better health, social and economic outcomes. However, their minds weren’t changed by feel-good stories or empathy alone. We may never fully understand the complex reasons that caused the referendum to fail, but in my experience reliable evidence and logical reasoning spoke to many Australians, changing No voters into Yes voters. And one year on from the referendum, changing minds must remain a focus.
To bring about progress for First Nations people, Australians need to understand our history and the issues we still face. They need to understand that these issues are both historic, and on-going. Truth-telling is the best tool we have to create this understanding.
Header image cropped and used under licence.
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