Australia: Acknowledging the past, shaping the future

There was warmth and pride in her voice when Binowee Bayles greeted us with “Warami” — a word of welcome in the language of the Dharug people, the traditional custodians of Sydney. It was more than a greeting; it was an initiation into the journey we were about to undertake over the next seven days.

We were five women from Bangladesh visiting Australia in mid-August on the prestigious Canberra Fellowships Program. From that first meeting onwards, what struck me most was how Australia is confronting its history — recognising the wrongs done to the Aboriginal peoples, the First Peoples of the land — and striving through legislation, policies, social programmes, and awareness to make amends and ensure equal opportunities and human rights for all.

Wherever we went, in government offices and beyond, we were welcomed with a statement along the lines of: “I would like to begin by acknowledging the Traditional Custodians of the land where we meet today. I pay my respects to Elders past, present and emerging, and I extend that respect to any Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander people present.” Hearing this acknowledgement, spoken by Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians alike, was both humbling and thought-provoking.

Binowee spoke about the Stolen Generations — children of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander descent who were forcibly removed from their families by government agencies between 1905 and 1967, with some incidents even continuing into the 1970s. It is a painful history. Yet today there are apologies, legal redress, compensation, and continuing efforts at reparation. It is not a pleasant past, but the open admission of wrongs, and the determination to right them, is a lesson worth learning.

Natt Smith of the National Indigenous Australians Agency gave us food for thought on how to walk towards a better shared future: acknowledge, listen, reflect, question, act, and support. Acknowledgement is about truth-telling , and that is a vital first step. She showed us a map of Aboriginal languages in Australia, a poignant reminder of how many of our ethnic communities were losing their languages too.

The visit to the Australian Human Rights Commission was also interesting. Though it is a statutory body funded by the Australian government, it functions independently. They are advocating for a Human Rights Act to better protect the rights of all people in Australia, along with modernising the country's anti-discrimination laws, creating a national human rights tracker to measure progress and regress on human rights, and address systemic inequities.

The Commission receives around 3,000 individual complaints each year, many concerning workplace discrimination based on disability or gender. Housing access for the homeless is also a pressing concern.

Meeting the Governor-General of Australia, the Hon. Sam Mostyn, reinforced the sense that people in positions of influence are committed to real change. Among her many areas of engagement, she has served on the board of Reconciliation Australia, a foundation dedicated to strengthening ties between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians. She listened with empathy as we shared Bangladesh’s own story, and spoke of deepening bilateral ties. It was heartening to see a woman of substance, with a clear commitment to equality and human rights, holding the highest office of the land.

Walking around The Rocks in Sydney also brought history to life. The weathered stones seemed to whisper stories of a colonial past, layered and complex. That walk encapsulated the theme we had witnessed throughout our visit — the power of acknowledging the past while shaping a more just future.

The Aboriginal Heritage Walk through the Royal Botanic Gardens offered us a window into the heritage and culture of the First Peoples. Every element, the medicinal plants, herbs, flowers, creepers, birds, and water bodies, carried its own story, speaking of a rich tradition and of today’s efforts to preserve this precious past.

Towards the end of our visit, we met Tim Watts MP, Special Envoy for Indian Ocean Affairs. He has visited Bangladesh on more than one occasion and has a significant Bangladeshi community in his constituency. His words summed it all up: “We want a country where no one dominates, and no one is dominated.” That's what we all want.