Perhaps Tickner could have devoted more space to the difficult issues of Aboriginal education and self-determination in remote communities. Nevertheless, Taking a Stand covers a lot of ground in close but readable detail. It is a vital resource that sets the current debate in its historical context. Tickner's stated objective in writing the book is to promote the renewal of the unanimous commitment Federal Parliament gave in 1991 to addressing indigenous disadvantage and human rights. While this possibility may seem remote now, the remarkable achievements of the past decade provide cause for hope.
Further progress requires an understanding and acknowledgment of the past.
As the Governor-General, Sir William Deane, has said, there can be no reconciliation without justice. Christopher O'Donnell is a Sydney barrister.