b'COMMUNITY| LEGAL SECTOR| 2021SUSTAINABILITY INSIGHTRECONCILIATION IN AUSTRALIAAustralian SituationReconciliation between Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and the wider community is a journey of improving mutual trust, respect and opportunities. Reconciliation encourages cooperation and unity between First Australians and non-Indigenous Australians.The treatment of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples since European settlement has failed to respect the sovereignty of First Peoples and perpetuated structures that have created significant barriers for the more than 864 thousand First Australians in Australia today. To collaboratively work towards reconciliation, it is important to understand historical acceptance through truth telling. It is a critical step to improving our understanding of how history has shaped Australians relationships to, connection to, and respect for each others cultures. In 2008 the Australia took an important symbolic step of acknowledging this Australian history with the nations apology to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.A formal process examining how to achieve recognition of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples in the Australian Constitution has been underway since 2011. In 2017 the Governments Referendum Council hosted a National Constitutional Convention at Uluru including over 250 First Nations delegates from across Australia. They issued the Uluru Statement from the Heart with three core themes of voice, treaty and truth, and which recommendation for an Indigenous voice to parliament, constitutional reform and the Makarrata Commission.Progress of reconciliation is reflected in the targets set in the Commonwealth Governments 2008, 22 year Closing the Gap agenda. There have been ongoing failures to meet the interim targets. A new national agreement on Closing the Gap was negotiated with Indigenous representatives as a partnership, setting out four priority reforms aimed at changing how governments work in true collaboration with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander representatives to address inequities. 1.build and strengthen structures to empower Indigenous people to share decision-making with governments2.build Indigenous community-controlled sectors to deliver services to support Closing the Gap3.transform mainstream government organisations to improve accountability and better respond to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples needs and 4.improve and share access to data and information to enable Indigenous communities to make informed decisions.Legal Sector ActionThere are many ways law firms can begin a process of reconciliation and begin to build on the five interrelated dimensions of race relations, equality and equity, institutional integrity, unity and historical acceptance. These dimensions are used by Reconciliation Australia to measure progress and define outstanding actions. In Australia the legal profession has filled an important role by working in each of these five dimensions to improve reconciliation through;FORMAL POLICY PUBLISHED POLICYPOLICY POLICYPUBLISHEDYes 53% No 8% Not Reported 5% Yes 95% No 5%Currently in Development 34%60'