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The Government has a strong commitment to the ongoing process of reconciliation. The Government recognises the positive contribution made by the Council for Aboriginal Reconciliation which completed its statutory term in December 2000. To carry on the process of reconciliation, Reconciliation Australia, an independent body, has been established and the Government has contributed $5.6 million and tax deductibility status for gifts and donations made to it.
The Government has also committed $5 million to the construction of 'Reconciliation Place' within the Parliamentary Triangle to honour the importance of reconciliation in the nation's life and to recognise the shared journey between the different peoples of the Australian nation. It will also recognise the hurt and trauma that many Indigenous people continue to feel as a consequence of past practices of family separation.
It is integral to reconciliation that there be positive and effective steps taken to address Indigenous disadvantage so that Aboriginal people and Torres Strait Islanders share equally in the full range of opportunities available to Australians today. The Council of Australian Governments meeting in November 2000 committed the Federal Government and the States and Territories to the reconciliation process by agreeing to collectively pursue measures to address Indigenous disadvantage.
The Government's record of achievement in Indigenous affairs, together with the comprehensive and practical set of new initiatives announced in this year's Budget, are a tangible demonstration of the Government's commitment to the ongoing process of reconciliation.