The more we talk about Australia’s racial divide, the more unified the discussion and achievable the solutions become. Karen Mundine, the CEO of Reconciliation Australia, phoned into Mornings with Bridie Tanner to kick off National Reconciliation Week 2019.

With a majority of Australians having never met a First Nations person, and a shocking number of Aboriginal and Torres Straight Islanders regularly mistreated and vilified, Australia feels as divided as ever. To fix a complex issue with such deep historical roots, Karen says we must have frank conversations on building awareness and support.

The theme for this year’s National Reconciliation Week is ‘Grounded in truth, we walk together in courage’. Karen believes we need to come together now more-so than ever to recognise and value our Indigenous population. Rather than making grand gestures, she speaks of the week as a chance to take small, meaningful steps.

“We have to face our history and our past. There have been good things but there have been many bad things; many quite ugly and bad things. But until we can face that as a nation, until we can have those conversations […] and acknowledge that our past continues to have an effect on who are today, then we cant work towards it together and we cant walk forward.

Listen back up top as Karen and Bridie get into the many meanings of reconciliation, and address its perceived flaws both as a concept and campaign. There are many tangible ways Australians can unify and recognise the struggles of First Nations people. But there is still a long way to go before we get there.

Head over to Reconciliation Australia for more information and details.