The Wire

In an unusual union, John Howard had lunch today with BHP Billiton… and Reconciliation Australia. There the Prime Minister announced a National Program of Action to advance reconciliation, involving companies like the ANZ Bank, Canberra Investment Corporation and government bodies such as Centrelink. Various interested parties made commitments to things like appreciation of traditional culture, increasing Indigenous employment and economic development. The initiative comes in the lead-up to the 40th Anniversary of the 1967 Referendum which saw an end to Indigenous disenfranchisement. We were joined on the line by the CEO of Reconciliation Australia, Barbara Livesey.