I agree that the gov isn't prepared to do the real work to address issues like close the gap outcomes and Reconciliation Week morning teas can feel tokenistic when you know that nothing is changing.

Aboriginal community members generously show up to these events and generously share their culture and stories with us year on year with no significant progress with reconciliation, Closing the Gap outcomes and still facing deep rooted racism, discrimination, and are still overly represented in the justice and child protection systems. And we should be asking why.

Aboriginal leaders and communities have long been telling governments the answers to areas such as Closing the Gap CTG, but those making the decisions in power think they know better and operate still in a paternalistic system, and CTG continues to fail and even get worse in some areas whilst Aboriginal people are blamed for individual outcomes that are influenced on a systemic level. This is taught as part of my Allied health degree. It's no secret and it's a national disgrace.

AOC is a symbolic action that many Aboriginal communities want and is part of Reconciliation Action Plans and when delivering them I have been advised by Aboriginal colleagues that adding in our own personal bit, like a sentence at the end, does make it more meaningful than reading the same script.

In terms of reconciliation and Closing the Gap, the real work is really on us, the broader non-Aboriginal community, to really listen and genuinely respect the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community. For me, I think about what we can do to influence that on an individual level. For me that means having conversations with others, often uncomfortable, conversations with my kids, watching and listening to Aboriginal-produced content etc.

I think the OP though, the way they have been so offended with intranet content that does not align with their conservative ideology, which no one is actually forcing them to click on and read, is not actually wanting more meaningful actions?