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Bridging now to next: ACU’s commitment to reconciliation

National Reconciliation Week is an opportunity to reflect on the path forward, writes ACU Vice-Chancellor and President, Professor Zlatko Skrbis.

This year’s National Reconciliation Week theme, ‘bridging now to next’, offers a powerful call to action. It invites us to reflect on our past while looking forward to the future, challenging us to consider our role in building bridges between the two.

ACU was among the first Australian universities to formally support reconciliation. In 1998, our Senate endorsed a Statement of Commitment to Reconciliation – an official acknowledgment of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as the first inhabitants of this country.

In making this commitment, we drew inspiration from Pope John Paul II, who during a visit to Alice Springs in 1986 said to Indigenous Australians: “For thousands of years you have lived in this land and fashioned a culture that endures to this day… Your culture, which shows the lasting genius and dignity of your race, must not be allowed to disappear.”

To all Australians, he said: “What can now be done to remedy the deeds of yesterday must not be put off till tomorrow...”

As we all know, reconciliation is not a simple task – it is a long game. Like the broader reconciliation movement, our institution has made progress and encountered challenges in this endeavour.

Yet our early commitment established important foundations. It set us on a course to better involve Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples in the life of the university, to recognise the diversity of Indigenous cultures and perspectives, and to pursue policies that encourage greater participation of Indigenous Australians in higher education.

We’ve created safe spaces on our campuses – hubs where Indigenous students have found a home away from home, a place that promotes positive Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander identities.

We’ve paved new pathways for Indigenous students, and have seen many success stories. Graduates like Dr Derek Chong, who studied nursing at ACU and went on to become Queensland’s first Aboriginal psychiatrist. Or Tara Croker, a business and global studies graduate whose journey of innovation, impact and leadership has received international recognition.

There are many more stories like these: Indigenous teachers, midwives, social workers, lawyers and businesspeople, all thriving in their careers and their lives.

When I joined ACU, I identified a critical milestone for our continued progress towards reconciliation: establishing a strong Indigenous presence at the very senior levels of the institution.

Recognising this need, I made a commitment to recruit a leader with the experience and credentials to shape decision-making, offer cultural guidance and support, and raise our profile with First Peoples communities across the many lands where ACU campuses are located.

That commitment was embraced by the Senate, and in early 2024, we were proud to appoint Gomeroi woman Kelly Humphrey as our university’s first Pro Vice-Chancellor (Indigenous).

With that milestone achieved, we move to the next phase of our journey.

This year the Office of the Pro Vice-Chancellor (Indigenous) and the First Peoples Directorate will launch our First Nations 10-Year Plan, with a focus on student success, engagement and belonging, governance and leadership, and building a culturally responsive ACU.

The plan is a direct outgrowth of our strategic roadmap, Vision 2033. It is a product of the many streams of activity our institution has undertaken since our initial commitment to reconciliation, offering a path to transform that commitment into tangible, meaningful action.

In moving forward, we must acknowledge that in 2025, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples still experience deep disadvantage in our nation. Australia is a prosperous society that offers its citizens the chance of a decent life – but Indigenous Australians remain unequal sharers of this prosperity.

In reflecting on this truth, I would like to draw upon the words of Pope Francis, who in 2015 expressed his deep respect for Indigenous people and their cultures.

“It is essential to show special care for indigenous communities and their cultural traditions,” he wrote in his encyclical, Laudato Si’. “They are not merely one minority among others, but should be the principal dialogue partners …”

Reconciliation represents a moral imperative for all Australians. As a university, and especially as a Catholic university, ACU has a key role to play in this shared goal, working alongside Indigenous peoples in the spirit of genuine partnership.

As we walk together on this path, we must direct our energy towards engaging more deeply with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures and perspectives.

We must continue to enhance the experience of First Peoples students and staff, recognising talent and encouraging leadership in higher education.

We must support Indigenous Australians to reach their chosen futures, acknowledging them as individuals who are worthy of all the dignity, respect, and recognition that befits them.

And we must commit to translating words into action – drawing upon our commitment to the pursuit of knowledge, the dignity of the human person, and the common good to empower Indigenous Australians, and all Australians, to flourish and thrive.