Reconciliation Australia says last year, governments recognised that there had not been much positive change for Aboriginal people but this must be followed by action this year.

The group's co-chairman Fred Chaney says there were encouraging signs last year of the need to resolve underlying causes of disadvantage.

He says this year will be judged on whether the actions taken in 2004 match the good intentions expressed in 2003.

"There's been an increased understanding that the rate of progress has been far too slow and indeed in some areas we've slipped back," he said.

"That's caused the usual self-examination by governments, by communities, by all of the people involved in the field.

"What we'd be saying is that 2004 has to be the year of putting those good intentions into effect."