“Without a deep and meaningful understanding of our nation’s history, I don’t believe we can achieve reconciliation,” said Peter Yu at this year’s ANU Reconciliation Lecture on Reconciliation, Treaty Making and Nation Building.
“Embracing Indigenous peoples in our Constitution is pivotal to a new relationship between Indigenous peoples and settler Australians and a renaissance of the modern Australian State. Without this recognition, the Australian nation remains tied to its colonial and bloodstained past. We are a nation denied the potential for a reconciled history after four decades of public discussion and advocacy,” he said.
Mr Peter Yu is a Yawuru Man from Broome in the Kimberley region in North West Australia with over 35 years experience in Indigenous development and advocacy in the Kimberley and at the state, national and international level.
He has been an advocate for the social, cultural and economic advancement and well being of Kimberley and other Aboriginal communities for his entire career.
Over this period he has been instrumental in the development of many community based regional organisations.
In this year’s lecture, Peter challenged the audience to shake off complacency and demand more from our nation’s leaders.
