Moved by Councillor Weldon, seconded by the
Chair (the Lord Mayor) –
It is resolved that:
(A)
Council
note:
(i)
although a majority of Australians
voted against constitutional recognition through a Voice to Parliament, the City
of Sydney community voted, overwhelmingly, in support of the proposal;
(ii)
the opportunity to promote
reconciliation and tackle disadvantage and systemic racism at the local level
through initiatives that advance the core principles of the Uluru Statement
from the Heart;
(iii)
the City’s ongoing work and
commitments embodied in our Reconciliation Action Plan, Closing the Gap
framework and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Workforce Strategy;
(iv)
the
City’s commitment to recognise and acknowledge the history, heritage and living
culture of First Nations people in the public domain through the Eora Journey;
(v)
Aboriginal
and Torres Strait Islander communities have long called for truth-telling;
(vi)
the
First Peoples Dialogue Forum, held as part of the City’s consultations for
Sustainable Sydney 2030-2050, identified truth telling initiatives as a “first
priority aspiration”. Participants suggested this should include “decolonising
the city by debunking the myths of Australia and telling the truth”. The
2030-2050 Citizens Jury made a similar recommendation;
(vii)
that by reassessing established
narratives, mistruths, and one-dimensional accounts of past events, all
Australians gain a richer understanding of our shared history and story;
(viii)
in June
2011, Council amended the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Statement in
our Corporate Plan to acknowledge that colonisation “had far reaching and
devastating impacts on the Eora Nation, including the occupation and
appropriation of their traditional lands”;
(ix)
the
Lord Mayor’s August 2022 Minute to advance truth-telling through public
education and the City’s communications, in new and imaginative approaches in
the public domain, by reviewing the City’s symbols and emblems and by promoting
an honest conversation about Australia Day; and
(x)
there are more than two dozen
statues around the city centre commemorating colonial figures such as Captain
Cook, Governors Phillip and Macquarie and Queen Victoria; and that many of the
associated inscriptions and plaques feature inaccurate, misleading and
offensive accounts of the feats of those commemorated; and
(B)
the Chief Executive Officer be
requested to:
(i)
report to both
Council and the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Advisory Panel on the
progress of actions included in the Lord Mayor’s August 2022 Minute - Progressing the Uluru Statement from the
Heart; and
(ii)
undertake a review of public statues in the City of
Sydney and – in consultation
with local and state historical and cultural institutions, the City’s
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander and Public Art Advisory Panels and the
Local Metropolitan Aboriginal Land Council introduce alternate plaques, signage or other additions to
ensure that the representation of these figures is accurate and incorporates
contemporary and First Nations perspectives.
Carried
unanimously.
X086653