ABSTRACT
In the late 1980s politicians cited the ignorance of the general populace as one of
the main reasons for favouring a reconciliation initiative with a strong ‘educational’
remit over a formal treaty. This chapter evaluates the CAR’s impact upon the
attitudes of non-indigenous Australians. In particular it examines the CAR’s claim
that the enduring legacy of its educational approach is an unstoppable ‘people’s
movement for reconciliation’. When one considers the qualitative and quantitative
social research conducted on behalf of the CAR, however, it becomes clear that the
CAR has had little impact on the attitudes of non-indigenous Australians and that
broad support is only present when reconciliation is defined without reference to key
indigenous aspirations to land and redress for the Stolen Generations.
