Reconciliation without Reform and Its Impact on Post-2017 Aboriginal Policy and Justice

Abstract

This article rigorously analyzes the disparity between the rhetoric of reconciliation and the real policy results for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities in Australia post-2017. Even with national pledges towards reconciliation, especially after the Uluru Statement from the Heart was issued, numerous policy efforts are still more symbolic than revolutionary. The 2023 defeat of the Voice to Parliament referendum highlights persistent public and political opposition to constitutional change. Using a qualitative descriptive-critical methodology, this study examines secondary data such as government documents, scholarly articles, and media outlets, concentrating on significant Aboriginal communities in the Northern Territory, Queensland, and New South Wales. Thematic and critical discourse analyses reveal structural obstacles to authentic Indigenous involvement in policymaking, along with discrepancies between public backing and government action. The results show that top-down reconciliation initiatives frequently overlook Indigenous perspectives, leading to minimal policy adoption and restricted socio-economic effects. Insights from Canada and New Zealand reveal that approaches focusing on co-governance, treaty structures, and truth-telling produce better results in Indigenous justice and independence. The research finds that reconciliation in Australia continues to be rhetorical in the absence of structural reform, ongoing political commitment, and policies developed by the community. Suggestions involve enhancing Indigenous autonomy, creating an independent reconciliation body, and performing longitudinal studies on policy results. This study highlights the necessity of moving from symbolic actions to justice-focused reconciliation based on Indigenous sovereignty and leadership.