Multi-award winning journalist Dan Bourchier will share his experiences as a First Nations Australian and his views on how to be a good ally for First Nations Australians at a public talk at Geoscience Australia on Tuesday 31 May.

Event postponed: Unfortunately Dan Bourchier’s seminar has been cancelled. Stay tuned for a rescheduled date.

Multi-award winning journalist Dan Bourchier will share his experiences as a First Nations Australian and his views on how to be a good ally for First Nations Australians at a public talk at Geoscience Australia on Tuesday 31 May.

Mr Bourchier, who anchors ABC Canberra’s 7pm news, is driven by giving voice to the voiceless, holding to account those in positions of power and telling really great stories.

In Tuesday’s seminar Mr Bourchier will talk about his upbringing in the remote Northern Territory town of Tennant Creek on the lands of the Warumungu people, right through to his role as one of Australia’s most prominent news readers.

“I’m looking forward to sharing my journey, the forces that have shaped me, the experiences I’ve had along the way and my deep sense of the desire and appetite for change now in Australia,” Mr Bourchier said.

“As we head into the future, we’re going to be relying more and more on what is under the ground in Australia, informed by the First Nations People that have walked those lands above it for tens of thousands of years. We are at a really crucial point. The work that Geoscience Australia is doing is pivotal in how we take those next steps on this journey.”

Having returned from the federal election campaign trail and talking to people around the country, Mr Bourchier senses a shift in the Australian people. He says Reconciliation Week is an opportunity for all of us to step in together.

Dan Bourchier

“With change comes an element of uncertainty but opportunity as well. When it comes to First Nations People, of course the big opportunity is to embed a voice into the Constitution. This is an opportunity for us all to have the conversation that will lead, hopefully, to embedding the voices of First Nations People at every level of our society.”

National Reconciliation Week commences Friday 27 May on the anniversary of the 1967 Referendum and continues until Friday 3 June, the date of the High Court Mabo decision.

“The timing of this year’s theme ‘Be Brave. Make Change’ is pertinent and is a real call to action for all of us as Australians to do that which is within our power,” Mr Bourchier said.

“This ranges from the smallest of actions around learning language, sharing stories and calling out behaviours that are discriminatory, racist, or derogatory, right through to embedding the knowledge of First Nations People within the structures of corporations and embedding those voices in leadership teams at the highest levels of organisations.”

Geoscience Australia staff will join the rest of the country in learning about our shared histories, cultures, and achievements during National Reconciliation Week. As Indigenous Champion, Geoscience Australia CEO Dr James Johnson is passionate about contributing to and achieving reconciliation in Australia.

“Our First Nations People are Australia’s original mappers, miners and navigators,” Dr Johnson said. “This is the heart of our work and we have so much to learn from their many thousands of years of related knowledge.”

“We all have a role to play to ensure we work respectfully and collaboratively alongside Traditional Custodians, taking a united approach towards reconciliation. I’m looking forward to welcoming Mr Bourchier to Geoscience Australia and contributing to this important conversation.”

Register for the event: Join us to hear from Mr Bourchier as he shares his experiences and how to be a good ally for First Nations Australians this National Reconciliation Week.

When: 11am to 12pm, Tuesday 31 May 2022

Where: Raggatt Theatre – Geoscience Australia, Cnr Jerrabomberra Avenue and Hindmarsh Drive, Symonston ACT

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