The Respect campaign will be promoted nationally from 18 May to 7 June in The Body Shop stores, who are aiming to collect 20,000 signatures and speak to as many customers as possible. The campaign is promoting action through four direct steps:

• Understand
• Acknowledge
• Be Supportive
• Speak up.

ANTaR says the campaign seeks to convey that funding and policy alone are not enough to deal with the disadvantage and discrimination confronting Indigenous Australians: more intrinsic issues such as a general social lack of understanding and mutual respect must also be acknowledged and tackled.

Acting ANTaR CEO Dr Cooper said that while ANTaR expects the Prime Minister and the Federal Government to follow through on the commitment to building “a new relationship and partnership with Indigenous Australians”, the organisation also recognises that “it is vital that individual Australians have the information and resources to play their part in creating a new relationship.”

Campaign supporters will receive information packs about further action they can take on this issue, and ways to learn more about Indigenous history and culture.

You can show support by visiting The Body Shop, or going to www.antar.org.au