ABSTRACT

In the late 1980s politicians cited the ignorance of the general populace as one of the main reasons for favouring a reconciliation initiative with a strong 'educational' remit over a formal treaty. This chapter evaluates the Council for Aboriginal Reconciliation's (CAR) impact upon the attitudes of non-indigenous Australians. It examines the CAR's claim that the enduring legacy of its educational approach is an unstoppable 'people's movement for reconciliation'. When one considers the qualitative and quantitative social research conducted on behalf of the CAR, however, it becomes clear that the CAR has had little impact on the attitudes of non-indigenous Australians and that broad support is only present when reconciliation is defined without reference to key indigenous aspirations to land and redress for the Stolen Generations. Reconciliation had to take place in the hearts and minds of all Australians, and through people working together to change communities, workplaces, sectors and organisations around the country.