Following discussion with Indigenous leaders and Fellows of academies, the Australian Council of Learned Academies (ACOLA) has released its response to the Uluru Statement from the Heart.
ACOLA's statement, released following the fourth anniversary of the presentation of the painted and signed Uluru Statement of the Heart, outlines how ACOLA and Australia’s Learned Academies will actively listen, learn, reflect and engage in furthering our commitment to, and support of, the Statement.
"ACOLA's response has been some time in the making, reflecting the essential considerations and discussion on how we can best respond and support this critical journey. To everyone involved in the Statement’s drafting and the wider community, thank you for your invitation to walk with you in a movement of all Australian people for a better future." - Professor John Shine, Chair of the ACOLA Board.
As leaders across industry, government, and academia, the Academies and their Fellows, convened by ACOLA, seek to promote further action towards reconciliation and genuine partnership. Broadly, through our response, ACOLA commits to:
- ensuring their work and activities respect Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander knowledge systems and perspectives
- expose actively and foster dialogue about racism and bigotry
- stopping tokenism in research efforts to ensure Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples are true partners in the conduct of research and benefit from its results
- participating in the creation of a harmonised, national research culture that values diversity, removes structural inequity and delivers benefits
- ensuring their activities, and the research we promote, are conducted under appropriate ethical arrangements, research principles and practices.
"As leaders in the research sector, we commit to participating in the creation of a harmonised, national research culture. One that removes structural inequity, values diversity, enriches and strengthens our and others' understandings of the world, and makes tangible actions to address the past and create a better future." - Professor John Shine, Chair of the ACOLA Board.
ACOLA's full response can be viewed on their website.