It is important to celebrate NAIDOC week.
It is crucial all people acknowledge that this country's First Nations people were the first on this land.
Aboriginal Australians are the oldest continuous culture on earth and were farmers, bakers, navigators, explorers, philosophers, astronomers, engineers, and artists long before white people arrived on this land.
NAIDOC week gives our community an opportunity to appreciate Indigenous history, culture, achievements and their valuable contribution to our country.
The 2019 NAIDOC them is Voice, Treaty, Truth.
Australia still does not have a treaty or treaties or some other kind of formal acknowledgement or arrangement with its Indigenous people, in fact we are one of the few countries in the world which does not have one.
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people believe sovereignty was taken away from them and that remains a continuing source of dispute.
However, enduring and potent agreement won't be reached unless Australians have a mutual, honest understanding of the reasons for the dispute, of white and black shared history, and how we got to where we are today.
Indigenous people want the true story of colonisation to be told, and for the broader community to hear it and acknowledge it.
Owning the history is necessary before we can achieve true reconciliation.
There needs to be heartfelt healing for both sides.
The majority of the failings of our nation towards our first Australians happened many, many years ago, and modern Indigenous people aren't seeking to point the finger of blame, they just want acknowledgment and a genuine commitment to move forward together as a united nation.
We can't move forward in life if we don't heed the lessons of our past. History belongs to all of us and we must own it.
If we do that, then we can move forward together.