Tasmania's government has been urged to establish a Truth-Telling Commission to preserve the memories of Aboriginal elders and quash the myth that the state's Aboriginal people are "extinct".
WARNING: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander readers are advised that this article contains images and names of people who have died.
In a report commissioned by the state government, professors Kate Warner and Tim McCormack have also recommended the government legislate a framework towards a treaty, saying doing so does not need to wait for the completion of truth-telling.
Professor Warner and Professor Tim McCormack spent months travelling the state for the Pathway to Truth-Telling and Treaty report, which was tabled in state parliament on Thursday.
"Our people have waited 200 years for this moment," Tasmanian Aboriginal woman Nala Mansell said on the steps of parliament.
"Now that the report has been tabled to parliament, they are obliged to continue that conversation, so we really support the Premier's achievements."
As well as the establishment of the Truth-Telling Commission, which would have similar powers to a commission of inquiry, professors Warner and McCormack have recommended:
- The creation of new Aboriginal Protected Areas (including kunanyi/Mt Wellington);
- Increasing the joint management of Crown land, parks and reserves;
- Amending the Aboriginal Lands Act to include water;
- Funding to Aboriginal organisations for word lists, and;
- The establishment of a Tasmanian Indigenous Education Consultative Body.
Professor Warner and Professor McCormack also wrote there was "almost unanimous support for a treaty", which was described as an agreement between the government and Aboriginal people, but that "action and justice" were needed first.
"The best way forward is for the government to show its commitment to meaningful change by legislating a framework which allows for both truth-telling and treaty work and for them to be done concurrently," the report said.
The purpose of truth-telling was giving Aboriginal "a safe space" to share their stories.
"Healing was frequently mentioned as an outcome of truth-telling," they said.
"There were suggestions that a formal truth-telling process might encourage and empower Aboriginal people to come forward and tell their story and, for others, it was seen as a means of tackling the extinction myth."
Path forward must be 'together'
Premier Peter Gutwein said the government would consider the recommendations and respond next year.
"The report opens a door that we can walk through, if we wish, but to do so we must choose to do that together, as further division, further conflict will not provide a pathway to true reconciliation," he said.
"The Tasmanian Aboriginal people have called this place, lutruwita/Tasmania, home for more than 40,000 years.
"As one of the oldest cultures in the world, theirs is a rich history, a story of survival, of conflict and dispossession and one that deserves our respect and acknowledgement."
Tasmanian Aboriginal elder Rodney Dillon said it was an emotional day.
"Up until now, we've been invisible, and now we've been made visible," Mr Dillon said.
"The clouds have lifted."
He gave Mr Gutwein credit for being the first Tasmanian premier to move towards a treaty, but said it was important Aboriginal people were involved in the next steps.
'Anger' over Aboriginality claims
The report deals at length with what has been termed the vexed question of Aboriginality.
It has recommended the government-appointed, Aboriginal-majority Truth-Telling Commission be empowered to determine representatives of Aboriginal people to negotiate a treaty with the state.
"There is palpable resentment, anger and frustration amongst many Aboriginal people about the burgeoning numbers of Tasmanians claiming Aboriginality and of allegations of government facilitation of this phenomenon," the report said.
"An essential element prior to the negotiation phase will be the process of selection of representatives of the Aboriginal people to negotiate on behalf of their constituents.
"The question of who is eligible to participate in the appointment of representatives of the Aboriginal people to negotiate with the State must be dealt with and cannot be avoided."
