Bill Lawson hopes that a new Reconciliation Council of Tasmania will become a place of honesty, understanding, and discussion.
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In 2015, Mr Lawson was elected as the first Tasmanian on the board of Reconciliation Australia.
It was here he said he realised Tasmania was the only state without its own reconciliation council, a fact that he wanted to change.
In August, Mr Lawson will launch a new Reconciliation Council of Tasmania, a not-for-profit organisation he hopes will bring people of all backgrounds together.
The council will be launched on August 9, the International Day of the World's Indigenous Peoples.
To mark the start of National Reconciliation Week on May 27, Mr Lawson will put out the call for any Tasmanian who wishes to be a part of the new council.
“We need this as much as anyone else, perhaps even more,” he said.
“The word reconciliation means bringing people together that are divided.
“If we look at the Tasmanian scene, there are a lot of ordinary Tasmanians who really don’t understand issues with the Tasmanian Aboriginal people.”
Mr Lawson said through the new group, he was encouraging the community to come forward with truthful questions and be ready to receive honest answers.
“I think that it will open up Tasmania to a far better understanding of the truth of what did happen and then we’re able to move on together,” he said.
It was just a few months ago that Tasmania changed its constitution to recognise the state’s first people, becoming the last Australian state to do so.
Mr Lawson said this was a good start, but there was still more to be done.
“There’s far more discussion and consideration of issues relating to the first Tasmanians than there’s been ever before,” he said.
“I hope that Reconciliation Tasmania will become known as a totally independent and neutral organisation – no political, no religious, no indigenous connections.”
Premier Will Hodgman said the new group intersected well with the national campaign for recognition in the constitution.
“It's an important part of Tasmania’s role in that so I will welcome the opportunity to meet with them in due course,” Mr Hodgman said.
Anyone who wishes to be part of the council or would like information can visit the Reconciliation Council of Tasmania website or ask at their local council.