Referendum: The Indigenous Voice to Parliament

The Uluru Statement from the Heart was developed from a vibrant, First Nations designed and led, national discussion process. Following regional dialogues held around the country, 250 Indigenous Australian delegates gathered at the 2017 First Nations National Constitutional Convention at Uluru. The discussion and consensus building reflect a similar process from which the Australian Constitution was developed, although in the case of the Uluru Statement, First Nations Australians were at the centre of the decision making. Three central recommendations emerged from the National Constitutional Convention; a First Nations Voice to be enshrined in the nation’s constitution; the development of a truth telling process; and the establishment of treaties (see the Victorian Treaty arrangements, for example) .

The first Nations Australians contributing to the Uluru Convention saw the exposure of Indigenous truths as an important educative process for all Australians, recognising that our formal education systems have a role to play for the legal process of constitutional reform to be effective. The focus on truth telling is explained by the following statement from the regional dialogues (The Uluru Statement, 2022):

In order for meaningful change to happen, Australian society generally needs to “work on itself” and to know the truth of its own history. (Brisbane Regional Dialogue)

The materials curated in this library guide are a part of the vital role universities play in this process of education about civic and social responsibilities, and to facilitate informed decision-making in the lead up to the Indigenous Voice to Parliament referendum.

Read the Statement below.

ULURU STATEMENT FROM THE HEART

We, gathered at the 2017 National Constitutional Convention, coming from all points of the southern sky, make this statement from the heart: Our Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander tribes were the first sovereign Nations of the Australian continent and its adjacent islands, and possessed it under our own laws and customs. This our ancestors did, according to the reckoning of our culture, from Creation, according to the common law from ‘time immemorial’, and according to science more than 60,000 years ago. This sovereignty is a spiritual notion: the ancestral tie between the land, or ‘mother nature’, and the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples who were born therefrom, remain attached thereto, and must one day return thither to be united with our ancestors. This link is the basis of the ownership of the soil, or better, of sovereignty. It has never been ceded or extinguished and co-exists with the sovereignty of the Crown. How could it be otherwise? That peoples possessed a land for sixty millennia and this sacred link disappears from world history in merely the last two hundred years? With substantive constitutional change and structural reform, we believe this ancient sovereignty can shine through as a fuller expression of Australia’s nationhood. Proportionally, we are the most incarcerated people on the planet. We are not an innately criminal people. Our children are aliened from their families at unprecedented rates. This cannot be because we have no love for them. And our youth languish in detention in obscene numbers. They should be our hope for the future. These dimensions of our crisis tell plainly the structural nature of our problem. This is the torment of our powerlessness. We seek constitutional reforms to empower our people and take a rightful place in our own country. When we have power over our destiny our children will flourish. They will walk in two worlds and their culture will be a gift to their country. We call for the establishment of a First Nations Voice enshrined in the Constitution. Makarrata is the culmination of our agenda: the coming together after a struggle. It captures our aspirations for a fair and truthful relationship with the people of Australia and a better future for our children based on justice and self-determination. We seek a Makarrata Commission to supervise a process of agreement-making between governments and First Nations and truth-telling about our history. In 1967 we were counted, in 2017 we seek to be heard. We leave base camp and start our trek across this vast country. We invite you to walk with us in a movement of the Australian people for a better future

UluruStatementfromtheHeartPLAINTEXT.pdf

Anderson, P. (2017). Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders peoples from across Australia make historic statement. Indigenous Law Bulletin, 8(29), 8–9.  https://search-informit-org.ezproxy.uws.edu.au/doi/abs/10.3316/agispt.20173441

Anderson, P., Davis, M., Appleby, G., Brennan, S., Cama, B., Davis, A., Hunter, N., Larkin, D., Macgillivray, D., Scales, S.,Scott, G., & Synott, E. (2017). The Uluru Statement from the Heart. The Uluru Statement. https://ulurustatement.org/the-statement/view-the-statement/

Davis, M. (2021, March). Voice at a crossroads. The Monthly.https://www.themonthly.com.au/issue/2021/march/1614517200/megan-davis/voice-crossroads

Grant, K., Anderson, P., Calma, T., Davis, M., Dodson, P., Grant, S., Joyce, B., Kelly, D., Langton, M., Leibler, M., Morris,S.,Mundine, W., Munro, L., Price, J., Sarra, C., Shorten, B., & Turnbull, M. (2020, June 1). Living black: Voiceless - series 1 - ep 8 [Video]. Informit. https://search.informit.org/doi/10.3316/edutv.5245501

Morris , S. (2022, October 27). A constitutional Voice to Parliament: Ensuring parliament is in charge, not the courts.The Conversation.  https://theconversation.com/a-constitutional-voice-to-parliament-ensuring-parliament-is-in-charge-not-the-courts-193017

Roach, N.  (2021, January 17). We all need to get on board the campaign for First Nations Voice to Parliament. Pearls and Irritations. https://johnmenadue.com/uluru-statement-voice-treaty-truth-needs-support-akin-to-1967-referendum/