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Facing Australia’s colonial history on the path to reconciliation

‘Truth-telling isn’t just about knocking down statues, it’s not about blocking out historical events and saying, “that’s wrong, we don’t teach kids that story anymore”. It’s about developing a fuller picture of how the nation got to where we are.’ – Lorena Allam

‘What does it mean to be on land that was taken from other people? Now that we know how the taking was done, what do we do with that knowledge?’ – Kate Grenville

What stories shape our understanding of ourselves – as individuals, and as a nation?

Reconciliation Week 2025 invites us to reflect on the past and present and to have courage to face the truths of Australia’s black history, to build bridges and rally for a better future.

Truth-telling recognises Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples have continuously lived and practiced culture on this land for more than 60,000 years prior to colonisation in 1788, and acknowledges the strengths of First Peoples as well as the systematic silencing of injustices and ongoing impacts of colonisation.

Join us for Reconciliation Week at UTS with Lorena Allam, Kate Grenville, Lindon Coombes, Mariko Smith and Robynne Quiggin (moderator) as they offer their insights into truth-telling and how it offers a path to better awareness, understanding and connections across communities.

This event will also be live-streamed, so you can attend in-person or tune in online! Online event registrants will receive the livestream link closer to the date.

Speakers

Lorena Allam is a multiple Walkley award winning journalist descended from the Yuwalaraay and Gamilaraay people of northwest NSW. After a 30-year career as journalist and broadcaster at the ABC, she joined Guardian Australia in 2018 as its first Indigenous Affairs editor and has led news reporting on Indigenous issues including Aboriginal deaths in custody. In forays outside journalism, she worked on the landmark Bringing Them Home inquiry and helmed the Indigenous collection at the National Film and Sound Archive. 

Kate Grenville is one of Australia’s most celebrated writers. In her most recent work Unsettled: A Journey Through Time and Place, she grapples with what it means to be a descendant of colonisation in Australia. Her international bestseller, The Secret River, was awarded local and overseas prizes, has been adapted for the stage and as an acclaimed television miniseries and is now a much-loved classic. In 2017, Grenville was awarded the Australia Council Award for Lifetime Achievement in Literature.

Professor Lindon Coombes is Industry Professor and Director at Jumbunna Institute for Indigenous Education and Research at UTS. Lindon is a descendant of the Yuallaraay people of northwest NSW and has worked in Aboriginal Affairs in a range of positions, including Director at PwC Indigenous Consulting, CEO of the National Congress of Australia’s First Peoples, and CEO of Tranby Aboriginal College in Glebe.

Dr Mariko Smith is the Head of First Nations Collections & Research at the Australian Museum. Mariko is a Yuin and Japanese interdisciplinary practitioner who engages with museology, public history, contemporary art, visual sociology, and research methodology. She specialises in truth-telling histories, Indigenous community-led cultural resurgence, and incorporating Indigenous ways of knowing and Indigenous cultural and intellectual property into museum practices. Mariko was the Assistant Curator on the award-winning Unsettled exhibition.

Professor Robynne Quiggin AO (moderator) is the Pro Vice-Chancellor (Indigenous Leadership and Engagement) at UTS. Robynne is a Wiradyuri lawyer who has worked on legal and policy issues relevant to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, including business, investment, financial services, consumer issues, human rights, governance, and rights to culture, heritage, and the arts.

This event is jointly hosted by UTS's Jumbunna Institute for Indigenous Education and Research and the Centre for Social Justice & Inclusion.