SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA (Reuters) — The Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander flags were raised on a permanent basis at Sydney’s Government House on Wednesday (June 28) in support of national reconciliation.
The governor of New South Wales, David Hurley, said that the event was significant especially in light of the 50th Anniversary of the 1967 referendum that saw Aborigines included in population census figures.
He said it was significant also in the wake of the 25th anniversary of the High Court’s decision on the Mabo case, which was favorable to natives.
New South Wales’ government house – the oldest public office in Australia and located behind the Sydney Opera House – only previously raised the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander flags temporarily during Reconciliation Week, and National Aboriginal and Islander Day Observance Committee week, among others.