COMMENT
While it is hard to imagine now, there was a time when steps towards Reconciliation would not have happened.
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Street names would remain the same, smoking ceremonies would be something done in private and there would be no welcome to country.
Reconciliation Week, therefore, is a time of both reflection and looking forward.
The sky did not fall when Kevin Rudd delivered the long-awaited apology to the Stolen Generations on February 13, 2008.
Despite years of Chicken Little-like warnings, the time has shown it was a small step on the road to a more egalitarian, inclusive and representative Australia.
Like the original 1967 referendum, it was proof Australians are a people guided by conscience who respect the rights and concerns of others.
This is why Anthony Albanese's pledge to embrace the Uluru Statement from the Heart, which marked its fifth anniversary last Thursday, has resonated with so many.
He put the call for a First Nations' voice to Parliament to be enshrined in the Constitution at the centre of his acceptance speech on election night.
While Mr Albanese is the third Australian Prime Minister to be tasked with responding to the Uluru Statement calls for a voice and a Makaratta or treaty, he is the first who has not neglected the responsibility.
Mr Albanese and Australia's second Indigenous Indigenous Affairs Minister, Linda Burney, are in a position to make history by bringing this long-held dream to fruition.
While they are both going to have their work cut out in achieving multi-lateral support within the Parliament and coming up with a model that satisfies a significant majority within the Indigenous community, these problems are not insoluble if approached from a position based on fairmindedness and goodwill.
As expressed by Mr Albanese, the argument for the voice is simple.
"We didn't have Terra Nullius. A Voice to Parliament is just a matter of respect. It's a generous statement saying that where issues affect Indigenous people, they should be consulted.".
The voice marks a refreshing change.
The new prime minister further noted that when it is done, people will wonder what the fear and reticence was all about but that we will be a better nation as a result.
