The rocky road to reconciliation

This paper describes a research project concerning reconciliation in Rockhampton. Our first objective was to ascertain whether the local Aboriginal and local non-Aboriginal people share the same ‘core values’, and we found that the two groups indeed appear to do so. Our second objective was to provide some guidance as to how ordinary people could contribute towards reconciliation. In pursuit of this second objective, we started by examining a certain familiar kind of Local Reconciliation Group. Knowing the basic tenets of intergroup contact theory, we came to see no reason to place much faith in such an initiative. We came across brighter prospects, however, when we turned our efforts to ways by which to challenge overt racism. Drawing upon various kinds of research, including that which relates to programs developed for the rehabilitation of racially motivated criminal offenders, what we seek to advance here is a peaceable, civil, non-combative approach.