Uluru Statement from the Heart

Last updated

Signing of the Uluru Statement Denise Bowden, Yothu Yindi CEO, signing the Uluru statement.jpg
Signing of the Uluru Statement

The Uluru Statement from the Heart is a 2017 petition to the people of Australia, written and endorsed by the Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander leaders selected as delegates to the First Nations National Constitutional Convention. The document calls for substantive constitutional change and structural reform through the creation of two new institutions; a constitutionally protected First Nations Voice and a Makarrata Commission [a] , to oversee agreement-making and truth-telling between governments and First Nations. Such reforms should be implemented, it is argued, both in recognition of the continuing sovereignty of Indigenous peoples and to address structural power differences that has led to severe disparities between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians. These reforms can be summarised as Voice, Treaty and Truth.

Contents

In October 2017, the then Coalition government rejected the Voice proposal, characterising it as a "radical" constitutional change that would not be supported by a majority of Australians in a referendum. Following this, in May 2022 Labor leader Anthony Albanese endorsed the Uluru Statement on the occasion of his 2022 election victory and committed to implementing it in full. However, the Voice was rejected at a subsequent referendum in 2023, with the government noting that further action on Treaty and Truth will take some time. [1]

Background

2015: Referendum Council

The 16-member Referendum Council was jointly appointed by the prime minister, Malcolm Turnbull, and Leader of the Opposition, Bill Shorten, on 7 December 2015. The council was to advise the government on steps towards a referendum to recognise Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples in the Australian Constitution. [2] [3] It built on extensive work by the Expert Panel on Constitutional Recognition of Indigenous Australians and the Joint Select Committee on Constitutional Recognition of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples. [4] The council was made up of Indigenous and non-Indigenous community leaders and included: [5] [6]


In October 2016, the Council released the "Discussion Paper on Constitutional Recognition of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples" to guide discussion. [11] In the group's "Final Report", it was noted that matters outside the discussion papers' key themes were out of scope for the final recommendations. These themes were: [12]

Over a six-month period the Council travelled to 12 different locations around Australia and met with over 1,200 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander representatives. The meetings resulted in a consensus document on constitutional recognition, the Uluru Statement from the Heart. [3]

2017: First Nations National Constitutional Convention

The First Nations National Constitutional Convention met over four days from 23 to 26 May 2017. [13] Each of the 13 regional dialogues selected delegates to attend the National Convention along with the convenors and working group leaders, mostly through secret ballot, with a total of 17 delegates for each dialogue. [14] The remaining members of the Convention were appointed by the Referendum Council. [14] The convention concluded with member Megan Davis giving the first public reading of the statement after it was adopted by the delegates. [3] [15] [16] A freedom of information request in 2023 released the meeting records of the First Nations Regional Dialogues and a draft version of the Final Report of the Referendum Council. [17] The draft version included a longer version of the Uluru Statement, which was ultimately included in the Final Report of the Referendum Council as 'extracts from the Uluru Statement from the Heart'. [18]

Uluru Statement from the Heart

Text

The text of what is generally characterised as the full statement, [19] but also as the "one-page pitch" of the full document [20] is as follows: [21]

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 the 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.

The italics, which appear in the original, denote quotations. The first is from an opinion written by Fouad Ammoun, Vice-President of the International Court of Justice, as part of the Western Sahara case of 1975. This opinion was cited in the landmark Mabo land rights case. The second is from an essay by anthropologist Bill Stanner. The third is from former Prime Minister Gough Whitlam. [22]

Note on Makarrata

Makarrata is a Yolngu word "describing a process of conflict resolution, peacemaking and justice", [23] or "a coming together after a struggle". It originally referred to a ritualised ceremony of "revenge", dispute resolution, and "peace-making" in which members of an aggrieved clan throw spears at a wrongdoer until blood is drawn. [24] [25] In some areas, the ceremony was satisfied by a transgressor being ritually speared in the leg instead of facing the spears head on. Once blood was drawn, the feud was over, with the wrong suffered to the accuser satisfied. [24] Members said Makarrata "captures our aspirations for a fair and truthful relationship with the people of Australia", and the Makarrata Commission would "supervise a process of agreement-making between governments and First Nations". [26] The word has also been used to mean "treaty", as adopted by the National Aboriginal Conference in the 1980s in order to use an Aboriginal word for their proposed "Treaty of Commitment... between the Aboriginal Nation and the Australian Government". [27] [28]

Artwork

In keeping with the tradition of the Yirrkala bark petitions and the Barunga statement, the Uluru Statement was made in the form of a work of art. The statement is placed in the centre which is where the power resides. Surrounding the statement are signatures of over 250 delegates who attended the conference and reached consensus. There are 100 First Nations represented in the statement by signers who included the name of their nation. [3]

The artwork surrounding the signatures was created by artists from Maruku art centre in Mutitjulu, led by Rene Kulitja, and painted by artists Christine Brumby, Charmaine Kulitja, and Happy Reid. [29] It tells the story of two Tjukurpa creation stories of the traditional owners of Uluru, the Aṉangu people. One tells how the Uluru landscape was shaped by a fight to the death at the Mutitjulu Rockhole between Kuniya, the woma python with eggs from the north east, at the top left, and Liru, the poisonous snake from the south west, at the bottom left. The other tells the story of the Mala people, represented by the Rufous hare-wallaby who, while holding a ceremony at the top of Uluru, became involved in a dispute with men who came from the west. The men left and created Kurpany, the devil dingo, represented by the dog prints. [3]

The artwork was reproduced as a huge immersive light installation at the Parrtjima light festival in Alice Springs in April 2023, with the festival theme inspired by the statement, "Listen with the heart". [30]

Translations

The Uluru Statement has been translated into over 20 different Australian Aboriginal languages and 60 other languages, as well as Auslan. [31]

In November 2020, SBS Radio announced that their journalists have translated the Statement into more than 60 languages, and there are plans for it to be translated and recorded in more than 12 Indigenous languages. [32] [33]

Length

In the campaign for 2023 Voice to Parliament referendum, some leaders and politicians opposing constitutional change alleged in August 2023 that the Uluru Statement is actually much longer than the one-page document commonly cited. [34] They pointed to documents released by the National Indigenous Australians Agency (NIAA) in March 2023 under freedom of information (FOI) laws. Documents 1-13 are records of the 13 regional dialogues. Document 14 includes a page titled "Uluru Statement Statement from the Heart", followed by further sections titled "Our Story", "Guiding Principles", and "Reform Priorities", in the same font and heading level as the first page. [34] [17] [35] These sections are also reproduced in the Final Report to the Referendum Council as "extracts from the Uluru Statement from the Heart". [36] [37]

Peta Credlin pointed to comments made by Megan Davis at the 2021–2 Sydney Peace Prize Award Ceremony [38] [39] and during her 2018 Henry Parkes Oration where Davis stated that "the Uluru Statement from the Heart isn't just the first one-page statement; it's actually a very lengthy Document of about 18 to 20 pages…". [38] [40] Disputing this, Davis has stated that the Uluru Statement is indeed one page, and her previous statements referring to other pages was merely "[an allusion] to the many pieces of Information that informed the Uluru Statement or provide context to the statement". [41] She also points out that the official version of the Uluru Statement as hosted by the Referendum Council website since 2017 is one page. [42] Anthony Albanese, in responding to questions about the length in Question Time from deputy opposition leader Susan Ley stated that the Uluru Statement is one page and characterised the dispute as a conspiracy theory that had long been debunked. [43] Pat Anderson, who was a co-chair of the Referendum Council and an architect of the Uluru Statement, supports this view, describing the "Our Story" section as merely a recording of everything that was said at the Regional Dialogues. [44] The NIAA has also stated that the Uluru Statement is one page, refuting claims made by no campaign leader Jacinta Nampijinpa Price. [45] [46] A spokesperson from the NIAA stated the 26 page extract contained "the one page Uluru Statement from the Heart, followed by 25 pages of background information and excerpts of regional dialogues that informed the one-page Uluru Statement" and excerpts of regional dialogues contained in the FOI release "simply reflect the broad range of comments of participants involved in the process" and "do not represent the policy of either the government at the time they were created or the current government". [19] However, in August 2023, Davis and Anderson published a book in which they claim the Statement is 15 pages long. [20]

The Final Report of the Referendum Council

The Final Report of the Referendum Council contains the following recommendations: [47]

  1. That a referendum be held to provide in the Australian Constitution for a representative body that gives Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander First Nations a Voice to the Commonwealth Parliament. One of the specific functions of such a body, to be set out in legislation outside the Constitution, should include the function of monitoring the use of the heads of power in section 51 (xxvi) and section 122. The body will recognise the status of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as the first peoples of Australia.
  2. That an extra-constitutional Declaration of Recognition be enacted by legislation passed by all Australian Parliaments, ideally on the same day, to articulate a symbolic statement of recognition to unify Australians.

The Final Report also notes that there are other matters of great importance to Australia's Indigenous peoples that can be more appropriately addressed outside the Constitution, realising the difficulties involved in Constitutional amendments, and recognising the principle of parliamentary supremacy. being: a statement of recognition; the establishment of a Makarrata Commission; a process to facilitate truth telling. [47]

Sections of the Final Report described as 'extracts from the Uluru Statement from the Heart' include a section titled 'Our Story', outlining Indigenous history and resistance, [48] a set of 'Guiding Principles' to govern the assessment of any proposals that result from the Uluru Statement, [49] and a further analysis of Voice, Treaty and Truth regarding the outcomes delegates wished to see from them. [50]

Parts of the statement state that First Nations Law was violated by the coming of the British to Australia, that Australia was not settled or discovered but invaded, that the Stolen Generation was an attempt to breed Aboriginality out of people, that Makarrata (another word for treaty) is the culmination of the agenda of the signatories and is the process by which First Nations will express their sovereignty. Other parts note the views of some delegates that the Voice should be a mechanism for providing 'free, prior and informed consent' rather than advice, and that Treaty could include a proper say in decision-making, the establishment of a truth commission, reparations, a financial settlement (such as seeking a percentage of GDP), the resolution of land, water and resources issues, recognition of authority and customary law, and guarantees of respect for the rights of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples.[ citation needed ]

Presentation to government and journey across country

The Final Report of the Referendum Council was published on 30 June 2017, and sent to the Prime Minister, Malcolm Turnbull, and the leader of the opposition, Bill Shorten. It included the Uluru Statement as a preface, and the essay Rom Watangu – The Law of the Land by Galarrwuy Yunupingu, [51] in which he describes Rom watangu as the overarching law of the land, which is "lasting and alive... my backbone". [52]

The 440 words of the Uluru Statement [19] were printed onto a large canvas, surrounded by the signatures of participants, and afterwards decorated by Anangu law women. [53] This official painted and signed canvas artwork was presented to the Prime Minister and the Leader of the Opposition on 5 August 2017, at the Garma Festival in north-east Arnhem Land in the Northern Territory. [54] The Statement was also on display alongside musician John Butler at the Woodford Folk Festival in Queensland. [55]

Initial government response

On 26 October 2017 Prime Minister Turnbull issued a joint statement with the Attorney-General, George Brandis, and the Indigenous Affairs Minister, Nigel Scullion, rejecting the statement. [56] The statement said "The government does not believe such a radical change to our Constitution’s representative institutions has any realistic prospect of being supported by a majority of Australians in a majority of states". [57] [58] [59]

After presentation

Thomas Mayo, a member of the Darwin dialogues and a signatory to the Uluru Statement, travelled the country for 18 months in his car with the rolled-up canvas in a tube, showing it to people and explaining what the Voice was about. Mayo said that wherever he took it and laid it out in the red dirt, people felt "the symbolism of it, the fact that this canvas was where our song-lines come together in the centre, with the poetic, powerful message, and the invitation to the Australian people", and described it as "the most sacred document in this country" and "incredibly moving". [53] His journey is documented in his book Finding the Heart of the Nation. [60] [61]

Community response

Public polling

Research commissioned by From the Heart and conducted by the C|T Group in June 2020 showed that a majority of Australians supported a constitutionally-enshrined Voice to Parliament, and that this support had increased 7 percent in three months, from 49 percent in March to 56 percent in June 2020. There were 2000 participants in the survey, who were asked: "If a referendum were held today, how would you vote on the proposal to change the Constitution to set up a new body comprising Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people that gives advice to federal parliament on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander issues?" Only 17 percent said they would vote no, down 3 percent since March 2020. [62] [63]

Support for the Voice reached a high of approximately 65% around October 2022, but then steadily declined as campaigning around the proposal increased, with the decline accelerating once the Liberal and National parties declared their opposition to the proposed amendment. [64] [65] [66] The referendum was defeated, with an approximate 60% no vote nationwide. [67]

Following the defeat of the referendum on the first element of the statement, polling in November 2023 found public support for a treaty had declined to 33% (37% opposing, 31% undecided), down from 58% support in October 2023. The same poll also found public support for a truth telling commission through a Makarrata commission to be 35% (31% opposed and 34% undecided). Support for a Voice implemented by legislation recorded a 40% approval, with 40% opposed and 20% undecided. However, support for the government consulting with an independent Indigenous representative body (as alluded to in an unsigned letter released after the referendum) received higher support, with 43% supporting the idea, 34% opposed and 23% undecided. [68]

Accolades and support

The Uluru Statement from the Heart received significant public support from individuals, institutions and civil society groups following its release in 2017. The Uluru Dialogue, a group formed from key members of the writers of the statement based in the UNSW Indigenous Law Centre to advocate for the requests of the statement, received support by many members of the public, prominent individuals, and a range of organisations from football clubs, medical and historical associations, through to banks and corporations such as Rio Tinto and Qantas. [69]

In his 2019 induction speech to the Logies Hall of Fame, Journalist Kerry O'Brien voiced his support for the Uluru Statement from the Heart by calling on the Australian Parliament, during the current term, to "make a genuine effort to understand and support what is embodied in the Uluru Statement From the Heart". He added "the Uluru statement represents no threat to a single individual in any corner of this country, and certainly no threat to the integrity of Parliament. And if you're told that, don't you believe it. On the contrary, it will add much to the integrity of our nation." [70]

In May 2019, 22 leaders in the Australian finance sector called for all Australians to embrace the Uluru Statement from the Heart. Investment banker and philanthropist, John Wylie wrote in the Weekend Australian: "We believe that accepting the call in the Uluru Statement for constitutional recognition will be a foundation stone of a modern Australia that’s a spiritually generous country truly at peace with itself and its history." [71]

The Cape York Institute established the "From the Heart" education project in early 2020. [72] The aim of the project is to increase awareness and understanding of the Uluru Statement from the Heart and a constitutionally-enshrined Voice to Parliament, and to show that it is a fair and practical reform. [73]

The Uluru Statement was awarded the 2021 Sydney Peace Prize in May 2021. [74] [75]

Objections

In December 2017, traditional owners of Uluru, Anangu elders Alison Hunt and Donald Fraser, asked that the Reconciliation Council remove the word "Uluru" from the title, saying it was included without proper consultation. [76] These issues have since been discussed and settled, with Central Land Council chair Sammy Wilson having given the group's blessing to use the name as part of the Uluru Statement from the Heart and its message to the Australian people. [77]

Opposition to the key component of the Uluru Statement, the Indigenous Voice to Parliament, as well as some of the broader objectives of the Uluru Statement has been expressed by various individuals on both sides of the political divide.

NT Indigenous politician for the Country Liberal Party, Jacinta Nampijinpa Price (who was elected to the Australian Senate in May 2022 [78] ), does not favour an amendment that, according to her view, "divides along the line of race". Queensland Senator James McGrath (Liberal) has suggested that the Voice would damage equality and similarly "divide Australians by race". [79] Others, including members of the conservative think tank the Institute of Public Affairs have suggested that the idea of a Voice selected on racial grounds violates the principles of racial equality. [80] [81] Columnist Andrew Bolt has also criticised the objectives of the Uluru Statement. [82]

Jordan Humphreys, a member of Socialist Alternative, argued in 2022 that while the Voice to Parliament wouldn't do much for working-class Indigenous people, there is a danger that it would help cohere a growing Indigenous elite into a conservatising force in Indigenous politics [83] Lidia Thorpe, (later a Victorian Senator initially as Greens member and later as an independent), was one of those walked out of the Convention and refused to sign the final document, due to the lack of a guaranteed treaty process. [84] [85] In October 2020, Adam Bandt, leader of the Australian Greens, signalled a shift in policy, saying that the Uluru Statement reforms list should be reordered, from "Voice, Treaty, Truth" to "Truth, Treaty, Voice". [86]

Follow-ups

Offshoots

The Uluru Dialogue (2017) is a group which includes creators of the Uluru Statement and various academics and lawyers based at the University of New South Wales. It is chaired by Megan Davis and Pat Anderson. [87]

"From the Heart" is a campaign by the Noel Pearson founded Cape York Institute, launched in 2020. [87] It is designed to increase awareness and understanding of the Uluru Statement and a constitutionally-enshrined voice to parliament, and to show that it is a fair and practical reform. [88] Torres Strait Islander man Thomas Mayo, [b] advocate for the Uluru Statement and the Voice, delivered the 2022 Vincent Lingiari Memorial Lecture on the topic. He drew parallels between Vincent Lingiari's struggle to be heard by governments back then, leading to the Wave Hill walk-off (Gurdindji strike), to what Indigenous peoples of Australia are experiencing today. [90] A campaign led by Roy Ah-See, called "History is Calling", was launched in early May 2022, to encourage Australians to answer the Uluru Dialogue's 2017 invitation, and to support the constitutionally-enshrined Voice. [91]

Morrison government

The Joint Select Committee on Constitutional Recognition relating to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples was appointed in March 2018, co-chaired by Senator Patrick Dodson and Julian Leeser MP and comprising six Lower House and four Upper House representatives. It presented its final report on 29 November 2018. There were four recommendations in the report: [92]

  1. In order to achieve a design for The Voice that best suits the needs and aspirations of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, the Committee recommends that the Australian Government initiate a process of co-design with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.
  2. The Committee recommends that, following a process of co-design, the Australian Government consider, in a deliberate and timely manner, legislative, executive and constitutional options to establish The Voice.
  3. The Committee recommends that the Australian Government support the process of truth-telling.
  4. The Committee also recommends that the Australian Government consider the establishment, in Canberra, of a National Resting Place, for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander remains which could be a place of commemoration, healing and reflection.

The first recommendation, that of creating an Indigenous voice to government via a "co-design process", was set in motion by the establishment of the Senior Advisory Group (SAG), announced by Minister for Indigenous Australians Ken Wyatt in October 2019. The Senior Advisory Group is co-chaired by Professor Tom Calma, Chancellor of the University of Canberra, and Professor Dr Marcia Langton, Associate Provost at the University of Melbourne, and comprises a total of 20 leaders and experts from across the country. [93] The government also said it would run a referendum during its present term about recognising Indigenous people in the constitution "should a consensus be reached and should it be likely to succeed". [94] By March 2020 (around the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic in Australia), the two other groups, National and Local and Regional, had been set up and had met at least once. [95] [96]

Albanese government

Following the 2022 Australian federal election, incoming Prime Minister of Australia, Anthony Albanese, endorsed the Uluru Statement and committed to implementing it in full. [97] As a result of this, a referendum to amend the constitution to include the Voice was held on 14 October 2023. [98] However, the referendum did not pass.

On the first anniversary of the apology to the stolen generations after the referendum in 2024, the government recommitted to makarrata and truth-telling, whilst also noting that the process would take some time. [1] The government also released the annual Closing The Gap report, which stated that agreements in each state and territory would be made to implement joint decision making with Indigenous Australians where they choose their own representatives. [99] [100] [101]

Dorinda Cox of the Greens introduced a draft bill, also supported by the organisers of the referendum campaign, to establish a Truth and Justice Commission. The Standing Committee on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Affairs, which is responsible for this issue, opened until 6 September its public review. [102]

See also

Footnotes

  1. ↑ "Makarrata" is a Yolngu word "describing a process of conflict resolution, peacemaking and justice", or "a coming together after a struggle".
  2. ↑ Formerly known as Thomas Mayor. [89]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Australian Indigenous sovereignty</span> Concept and political movement regarding land ownership by Indigenous peoples in Australia

Australian Indigenous sovereignty, also recently termed Blak sovereignty, encompasses the various rights claimed by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples within Australia. Such rights are said to derive from Indigenous peoples' occupation and ownership of Australia prior to colonisation and through their continuing spiritual connection to land. Indigenous sovereignty is not recognised in the Australian Constitution or under Australian law.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Galarrwuy Yunupingu</span> Aboriginal Australian activist (1948–2023)

Galarrwuy Yunupingu, also known as James Galarrwuy Yunupingu and Dr Yunupingu, was an Indigenous Australian activist who was a leader in the Aboriginal Australian community. He was involved in Indigenous land rights throughout his career. He was a Yolngu man of the Gumatj clan, from Arnhem Land in the Northern Territory. He was the 1978 Australian of the Year.

Reconciliation Australia is a non-government, not-for-profit foundation established in January 2001 to promote a continuing national focus for reconciliation between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians. It was established by the Council for Aboriginal Reconciliation, which was established to create a framework for furthering a government policy of reconciliation in Australia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pat Dodson</span> Australian politician

Patrick Lionel Djargun Dodson is an Australian indigenous rights activist and former politician. He was a Senator for Western Australia from 2016 to 2024, representing the Australian Labor Party (ALP).

Indigenous Australian self-determination, also known as Aboriginal Australian self-determination, is the power relating to self-governance by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples in Australia. It is the right of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples to determine their own political status and pursue their own economic, social and cultural interests. Self-determination asserts that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples should direct and implement Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander policy formulation and provision of services. Self-determination encompasses both Aboriginal land rights and self-governance, and may also be supported by a treaty between a government and an Indigenous group in Australia.

Indigenous Australians are people with familial heritage from, and/or recognised membership of, the various ethnic groups living within the territory of present day Australia prior to British colonisation. They consist of two distinct groups, which include many ethnic groups: the Aboriginal Australians of the mainland and many islands, including Tasmania, and the Torres Strait Islanders of the seas between Queensland and Papua New Guinea, located in Melanesia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">National Congress of Australia's First Peoples</span> Peak body for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians, 2010-2019

The National Congress of Australia's First Peoples was the national representative body for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians from 2009 to 2019.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mick Gooda</span> Indigenous Australian public servant

Mick Gooda is an Aboriginal Australian public servant. He has particularly served as the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Justice Commissioner of the Australian Human Rights Commission from 2009 to 2016 and as Co-Commissioner of the Royal Commission into the Protection and Detention of Children in the Northern Territory from 2016 to 2017. He is a descendant of the Gangulu people of Central Queensland.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Megan Davis</span> Australian human rights lawyer and Aboriginal activist

Megan Jane Davis is an Aboriginal Australian activist and international human rights lawyer. She was the first Indigenous Australian to sit on a United Nations body, and was Chair of the UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues. Davis is Pro Vice-Chancellor, Indigenous, and Balnaves Chair in Constitutional Law at the University of New South Wales. She is especially known for her work on the Uluru Statement from the Heart.

Indigenous treaties in Australia are proposed binding legal agreements between Australian governments and Australian First Nations. A treaty could recognise First Nations as distinct political communities, acknowledge Indigenous Sovereignty, set out mutually recognised rights and responsibilities or provide for some degree of self-government. As of 2024, no such treaties are in force, however the Commonwealth and all states except Western Australia have expressed support previously for a treaty process. However, the defeat of the Voice referendum in 2023 has led to a reversal by several state branches of the Liberal and National parties in their support for treaty and a much more ambiguous expressed position by state branches of the Labor Party as well as Labor governments.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Indigenous Voice to Parliament</span> Proposed advisory body in Australia

The Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice, also known as the Indigenous Voice to Parliament, the First Nations Voice or simply the Voice, was a proposed Australian federal advisory body to comprise Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, to represent the views of Indigenous communities.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Reconciliation in Australia</span> Movement to improve relations between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians

Reconciliation in Australia is a process which officially began in 1991, focused on the improvement of relations between the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples of Australia and the rest of the population. The Council for Aboriginal Reconciliation (CAR), created by the government for a term of ten years, laid the foundations for the process, and created the peak body for implementation of reconciliation as a government policy, Reconciliation Australia, in 2001.

Constitutional recognition of Indigenous Australians refers to various proposals for changes to the Australian Constitution to recognise Indigenous Australians in the document. Various proposals have been suggested to symbolically recognise the special place Indigenous Australians have as the first peoples of Australia, along with substantial changes, such as prohibitions on racial discrimination, the protection of languages and the addition of new institutions. In 2017, the Uluru Statement from the Heart was released by Indigenous leaders, which called for the establishment of an Indigenous Voice to Parliament as their preferred form of recognition. When submitted to a national referendum in 2023 by the Albanese government, the proposal was heavily defeated.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2023 Australian Indigenous Voice referendum</span> Referendum for the Indigenous Voice to Parliament

The 2023 Australian Indigenous Voice referendum was a constitutional referendum held on 14 October 2023 in which the proposed Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice was rejected. Voters were asked to approve an alteration to the Australian Constitution that would recognise Indigenous Australians in the document through prescribing a body called the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice that would have been able to make representations to Federal Parliament and the executive government on "matters relating to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples". The proposal was rejected nationally and by a majority in every state, thus failing to secure the double majority required for amendment by section 128 of the constitution. The Australian Capital Territory was the only state or territory with a majority of "yes" votes. Analysis of surveys following the referendum identified the main reasons why the majority of Australians voted no was a scepticism of rights for some Australians that are not held by others and a fear of constitutional change.

Opinion polling on whether to change the Australian Constitution to establish an Indigenous Voice has been conducted since 2017, when Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander leaders petitioned for such an amendment as part of the Uluru Statement from the Heart. The number of these polls conducted grew substantially following Labor's victory in the 2022 federal election; the party had committed to holding the referendum required for this constitutional change in its first term of government.

Many politicians, public figures, media outlets, businesses and other organisations endorsed voting either in favour or against the proposed Indigenous Voice to Parliament in the lead-up to the 2023 Australian Indigenous Voice referendum, which was held on 14 October.

Sally Scales is an Australian activist and artist. She is an ethnic Pitjantjatjara from Pipalyatjara, South Australia in the northwestern part of the Anangu Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara lands (APY).

Thomas Mayo is an Australian human rights advocate, a trade union official and an award-winning author. As an Australian of Kaurareg Aboriginal and Kalkalgal and Erubamle Torres Strait Islander ancestry, Mayo is a signatory of the Uluru Statement from the Heart. In 2017, he became a prominent advocate for an Voice to Parliament for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.

Australian Indigenous advisory bodies are Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander advisory bodies established or proposed to be established by the Commonwealth and state and territory governments. Calls for such bodies, especially for a Commonwealth level Voice to Parliament, became prominent following the release of the Uluru Statement from the Heart, however similar bodies of various levels of independence have existed since the official end of assimilationist policies in the 1970s and the promotion of self-determination and reconciliation. Such bodies generally advise governments on policies and programmes that affect Indigenous Australians, and represent Indigenous interests in public debate. Other advisory bodies have been established in the context of state treaty process, to advise governments and Indigenous groups to prepare for upcoming negotiations.

References

  1. 1 2 Butler, Josh (13 February 2024). "Closing the Gap: Anthony Albanese condemns 'inexcusable' findings on Indigenous disadvantage". The Guardian. ISSN   0261-3077 . Retrieved 14 February 2024.
  2. ↑ "The Council – Referendum Council". Referendum Council. Retrieved 20 July 2018.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 Chrysanthos, Natassia (27 May 2019). "What is the Uluru Statement from the Heart?". The Sydney Morning Herald . Archived from the original on 5 July 2019. Retrieved 5 July 2019.
  4. ↑ "Get the facts". Referendum Council. 2 January 2019. Retrieved 6 August 2020. CC-BY icon.svg Text was copied from this source, which is available under a Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) licence. (See here.)
  5. ↑ "The Council". Referendum Council. 2 January 2019. Retrieved 20 April 2023.
  6. ↑ Referendum Council 2017, Appendix A.
  7. ↑ "The council – Patrick Dodson". Referendum Council. Retrieved 7 July 2019.
  8. ↑ "The council – Pat Anderson AO". Referendum Council. Archived from the original on 6 March 2019. Retrieved 7 July 2019.
  9. ↑ "Anderson to co-chair Referendum Council". sbs.com.au. 15 March 2016. Archived from the original on 7 July 2019. Retrieved 7 July 2019.
  10. ↑ "The council – Mark Leibler AC". Referendum Council. Archived from the original on 6 March 2019. Retrieved 7 July 2019.
  11. ↑ "Discussion paper". Referendum Council.
  12. ↑ Referendum Council 2017, p. 15.
  13. ↑ "Uluru Statement: a quick guide". Australian Parliamentary Library. 19 June 2017. Retrieved 24 January 2020.
  14. 1 2 Referendum Council 2017, p. 113.
  15. ↑ Indigenous steering committee of Referendum Council. "Uluru – National Convention". Referendum Council. Archived from the original on 15 June 2017. Retrieved 20 July 2018.
  16. ↑ Brennan, Bridget; Zillman, Stephanie (26 May 2017). "Indigenous leaders call for representative body and treaties process after Uluru convention". abc.net.au. Archived from the original on 14 May 2019. Retrieved 7 July 2019.
  17. 1 2 National Indigenous Australians Agency (10 March 2023). FOI/2223/016 (PDF) (Report). Australian Government. Retrieved 4 August 2023.
  18. ↑ Referendum Council 2017, pp. 2–32.
  19. 1 2 3 "The Uluru Statement from the Heart is one page long, not 26". RMIT University . 10 August 2023. Retrieved 13 August 2023.
  20. 1 2 Davis, Megan; Anderson, Patricia (2023). Our Voices from the Heart. Gadigal Country, Sydney: HarperCollins. p. 146. ISBN   978-1-4607-6478-7. The Statement was drafted and overwhelmingly endorsed by the Convention's delegates. It is 15 pages long and includes three elements: the one-page pitch to the Australian people; 'Our Story' of the First Nations history of Australia; and the explanation of the legal reform.
  21. ↑ "Uluru Statement from the Heart". referendumcouncil.org.au. Referendum Council. Archived from the original on 6 March 2019. Retrieved 14 July 2018.
  22. ↑ Referendum Council 2017, inside cover, pp. i-ii, 16-32.
  23. ↑ Pearson, Luke (10 August 2017). "What is a Makarrata? It's more than a synonym for treaty". Radio National . Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Archived from the original on 5 June 2019. Retrieved 24 January 2020.
  24. 1 2 Flood, Josephine (2019). The Original Australians: The Story of the Aboriginal People (2 ed.). Sydney: Allen and Unwin. p. 194. Some feuds continued down the generations but in northern Arnhem Land there was a special peace-making ceremony, the "makarrata" or "magaranda". The selected or self-confessed offender had to face a barrage of spears, but once blood was drawn his accusers were satisfied and the feud was over.
  25. ↑ Langton, Marcia; Corn, Aaron (2023). Law: the Way of the Ancestors. Thames and Hudson. p. 80. ...makarrata, the ceremony in which armed men execute revenge and settle disputes. ... As [film director] de Heer had learnt: ... "Justice is deemed to be done when either one, the innocent or the perceived guilty, is hit. In many areas payback has been further refined to be a simple close-range spearing of the culprit in the leg."
  26. ↑ Hobbs, Harry; Williams, George (1 March 2018). "The Noongar Settlement: Australia's First Treaty". Sydney Law Review . 40 (1). Retrieved 21 July 2020– via Australasian Legal Information Institute (AustLII).
  27. ↑ McKay, Daniel (19 June 2017). "Uluru Statement: a quick guide". Parliament of Australia . Retrieved 13 September 2023.
  28. ↑ "National Aboriginal Conference". Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies. 19 November 2015. Archived from the original on 18 September 2020. Retrieved 13 September 2023. A resolution from the Second National Conference in April, 1979 requested that a Treaty of Commitment be executed between the Aboriginal Nation and the Australian Government. The NAC decided that the agreement should have an Aboriginal name - the Makarrata...
  29. ↑ "Uluru Statement from the Heart". WOW Australia . 26 May 2017. Retrieved 9 April 2023.
  30. ↑ "Parrtjima Festival in Light returns". National Indigenous Times . 28 February 2023. Retrieved 9 April 2023.
  31. ↑ "Translations". Uluru Statement from the Heart. 26 June 2022. Retrieved 20 April 2023.
  32. ↑ "The Uluru Statement from the Heart has been translated into more than 60 languages". SBS News. Retrieved 4 November 2020.
  33. ↑ "The Uluru Statement from the Heart in Your Language". SBS Your Language. Retrieved 4 November 2020.
  34. 1 2 Hegarty, Nicole (10 August 2023). "Voice conspiracy theory rubbished as Coalition continues to question length of Uluru Statement from the Heart". ABC News. Archived from the original on 10 August 2023. Retrieved 11 August 2023.
  35. ↑ "Agency FOI Disclosure Logs". National Indigenous Australians Agency . 10 August 2016. Retrieved 12 August 2023. FOI/2223/016 PDF
  36. ↑ Referendum Council 2017, p. 16.
  37. ↑ RMIT ABC Fact Check (10 August 2023). "CheckMate: Anthony Albanese says the Uluru Statement is one page, Jacinta Price says it's 26. Who is correct?". ABC News. Retrieved 11 August 2023.
  38. 1 2 Credlin, Peta (10 August 2023). "Why PM's backtrack on the Uluru Statement from the Heart won't wash" . The Australian . News Corp Australia.
  39. ↑ Davis, Megan (10 November 2022). "2021-22 Sydney Peace Prize Award Ceremony and Lecture in full" (video). youtube.com. Sydney Peace Forum (published 1 December 2022). Event occurs at 01:16:50. It's very important for Australians to read the statement. And the statement is also much bigger. It's actually 18 pages. It has the top Uluru statement but it also has a very lengthy Aboriginal history of Australia. So that's pulled from all the dialogues and you can go and read that but it's about how we see Australian history because a big part of that truth-telling aspect was that communities feel excluded from the narrative of the Australian country.
  40. ↑ Davis, Megan (22 October 2018). 'And remind them that we have robbed them?': Re-imagining a nation: Indigenous recognition, constitutional reform and a future Australian republic (PDF) (Speech). The Henry Parkes Oration. Museum of Australian Democracy, Old Parliament House, Canberra: Henry Parkes Foundation. Retrieved 11 August 2023.
  41. ↑ Davis, Megan (9 August 2023). "Uluru smear job reeks of desperation from No camp" . The Australian . News Corp Australia. Politicians of bad faith like Pauline Hanson and the Coalition, who are on a unity ticket, are pointing to a Henry Parkes Oration I gave in 2018, where I say the Uluru Statement is not only the one pager, that there's 18-20 more pages for Australians to read. This is alluding to the many pieces of information that informed the Uluru Statement or provide context to the statement.
  42. ↑ Delegates of the National Constitutional Convention (26 May 2017). "Referendum Council News & resources". Referendum Council.
  43. ↑ "Voice 'conspiracy': PM factchecks question on length of Uluru statement from the heart – video". the Guardian. 9 August 2023. ISSN   0261-3077 . Retrieved 13 August 2023.
  44. ↑ Anderson, Pat (9 August 2023). "Pat Anderson reveals the truth behind the Uluru Statement from the Heart". 7.30 Report (Interview). Interviewed by Sarah Ferguson. Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 11 August 2023.
  45. ↑ Butler, Josh (9 August 2023). "Indigenous Australians Agency refutes Jacinta Price's claim that Uluru statement is 26 pages". The Guardian. ISSN   0261-3077 . Retrieved 11 August 2023.
  46. ↑ "Megan Davis slams "misinformation" on breadth of Uluru Statement from the Heart". National Indigenous Times . 9 August 2023. Retrieved 12 August 2023.
  47. 1 2 Referendum Council 2017, p. 2.
  48. ↑ Referendum Council 2017, pp. 16–21.
  49. ↑ Referendum Council 2017, pp. 22–8.
  50. ↑ Referendum Council 2017, pp. 29–32.
  51. ↑ Referendum Council 2017, Appendix D.
  52. ↑ Yunupingu, Galarrwuy (July 2016). "Rom Watangu". The Monthly. Retrieved 19 July 2020.
  53. 1 2 Mayo, Thomas (15 April 2023). "'From the beginning I felt the power of this thing': One man's long journey for recognition". The Sydney Morning Herald (Interview). Interviewed by FitzSimons, Peter . Retrieved 13 August 2023.
  54. ↑ Davidson, Helen (5 August 2017). "Indigenous recognition: Turnbull refuses to commit to referendum Council's proposal". the Guardian. Retrieved 20 July 2018.
  55. ↑ Wahlquist, Calla (25 May 2018). "A year on, the key goal of Uluru statement remains elusive". the Guardian. Retrieved 20 July 2018.
  56. ↑ Grattan, Michelle (26 October 2017). "Turnbull government says no to Indigenous 'Voice to Parliament'". The Conversation . Retrieved 2 May 2019.
  57. ↑ Wahlquist, Calla (26 October 2017). "Indigenous voice proposal 'not desirable', says Turnbull". The Guardian. Retrieved 2 May 2019.
  58. ↑ Wahlquist, Calla (26 October 2017). "Turnbull's Uluru statement rejection is 'mean-spirited bastardry' – legal expert". The Guardian. Retrieved 2 May 2019.
  59. ↑ Wahlquist, Calla (30 October 2017). "Most Australians support Indigenous voice to parliament plan that Turnbull rejected". The Guardian. Retrieved 2 May 2019.
  60. ↑ "Finding the Heart of the Nation by Thomas Mayo". Hardie Grant . 1 October 2019. Retrieved 13 August 2023.
  61. ↑ Pitt, Helen (29 May 2019). "Uluru Statement's incredible 18-month journey across the nation". The Sydney Morning Herald . Retrieved 13 August 2023.
  62. ↑ Wellington, Shahni (15 July 2020). "'Hugely encouraging': Voice to Parliament advocates boosted by poll". NITV. Retrieved 2 September 2020.
  63. ↑ "Poll Shows Strong Rise in Support for Constitutional Change to Create Indigenous Voice to Parliament". From The Heart. 15 July 2020. Retrieved 2 September 2020.
  64. ↑ Briggs, Casey (7 October 2023). "Voice polls show support lower than that of failed republic referendum". ABC News. Retrieved 21 November 2023.
  65. ↑ Chung, Frank (14 October 2023). "How the Voice to Parliament failed so spectacularly". News.com.au .
  66. ↑ Nicholas, Josh (12 October 2023). "What the final polls are telling us: majority intends to vote no in voice referendum". The Guardian. ISSN   0261-3077 . Retrieved 21 November 2023.
  67. ↑ "Final Voice Referendum Results Released". National Indigenous Radio Service. 6 November 2023. Retrieved 21 November 2023.
  68. ↑ Visentin, Lisa (18 November 2023). "Voice fallout: support for treaty plunges after referendum" . Brisbane Times. Retrieved 21 November 2023.
  69. ↑ "Our Support". Uluru Statement from the Heart. Archived from the original on 16 November 2020. Retrieved 11 November 2020.
  70. ↑ Quinn, Karl (1 July 2019). "Kerry O'Brien issues fiery call to action in Logies Hall of Fame speech". The Sydney Morning Herald. Archived from the original on 30 June 2019.
  71. ↑ Wylie, John (18 June 2019). "Indigenous call deserves response from the heart". theaustralian.com.au. Retrieved 6 July 2019.
  72. ↑ Archibald-Binge, Ella (25 May 2020). "'Unifying moment': Campaign aims to amplify Indigenous voice". The Sydney Morning Herald.
  73. ↑ "Our People – The Uluru Statement". From The Heart. 15 March 2020. Retrieved 2 September 2020.
  74. ↑ "Uluru Statement from the Heart wins 2021 Sydney Peace Prize". University of Sydney . 26 May 2021. Archived from the original on 30 May 2021. Retrieved 1 June 2021.
  75. ↑ Zhou, Naaman (26 May 2021). "Uluru Statement from the Heart awarded 2021 Sydney peace prize". The Guardian . Archived from the original on 31 May 2021. Retrieved 1 June 2021.
  76. ↑ Lindsay, Kirstyn (18 December 2017). "Anangu Tribal Elders ask for the name of Uluru Statement from the Heart to be changed". sbs.com.au. Retrieved 6 July 2019.
  77. ↑ "New Central Land Council chairs elected". NT News . 10 April 2019. Retrieved 11 November 2020.
  78. ↑ "Senator Jacinta Nampijinpa Price". Parliament of Australia . Retrieved 3 October 2022.
  79. ↑ "'This is just nuts': Jacinta Price and Liberal senator attack Indigenous voice". sbs.com.au. 31 October 2019. Retrieved 29 September 2022.
  80. ↑ "Indigenous voice counterpoint: a violation of racial equality". TheSydneyMorningHerald.com.au. 19 June 2019. Retrieved 29 September 2022.
  81. ↑ Begg, Morgan; Wild, Daniel (19 June 2019). "Indigenous voice counterpoint: a violation of racial equality". The Sydney Morning Herald . Opinion. Retrieved 29 March 2022. Morgan Begg is a research fellow and Daniel Wild is the director of research at the Institute of Public Affairs.
  82. ↑ Bolt, Andrew (31 March 2017). "Why the 'Voice' will divide us in dangerous ways" . Herald Sun . Retrieved 25 June 2022.
  83. ↑ "A voice to parliament will do little for Indigenous justice". Red Flag. 25 June 2022. Retrieved 29 September 2022.
  84. ↑ Wahlquist, Calla (25 May 2017). "Uluru talks: delegates walk out due to sovereignty and treaty fears". The Guardian. ISSN   0261-3077 . Retrieved 3 July 2023.
  85. ↑ Grand, Chip Le (25 June 2020). "Without treaty, incoming senator can't feel part of 'Team Australia'". The Sydney Morning Herald . Retrieved 5 September 2020.
  86. ↑ Parkin, Dean (15 October 2020). "The Uluru statement is not Lego. The Greens can't rearrange it to suit their ideals". Crikey . Retrieved 11 November 2020.
  87. 1 2 Allam, Lorena; Butler, Josh (20 February 2023). "Voice referendum: who's behind the yes and no campaigns and how do they plan to convince Australia?". The Guardian . Retrieved 15 April 2023.
  88. ↑ "Our People – The Uluru Statement". From The Heart. 15 March 2020. Retrieved 2 September 2020.
  89. ↑ "The Voice to Parliament". Readings Books. Retrieved 15 April 2023.
  90. ↑ Collard, Sarah (25 August 2022). "Don't let 'low bar politics' hold back Indigenous voice, advocate to say in Lingiari lecture". The Guardian. Retrieved 3 September 2022.
  91. ↑ Cassidy, Caitlin (9 May 2022). "Australians urged to back Indigenous voice to parliament in History is Calling campaign". The Guardian . Retrieved 23 May 2022.
  92. ↑ Parliament of the Commonwealth of Australia. Joint Select Committee on Constitutional Recognition relating to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples (November 2018). Final report. Commonwealth of Australia. ISBN   978-1-74366-926-6 . Retrieved 18 July 2020. ...licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Non-Commercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Australia Licence. PDF
  93. ↑ "A voice for Indigenous Australians". Ministers Media Centre. 30 October 2019. Retrieved 18 July 2020.
  94. ↑ Grattan, Michelle (29 October 2019). "Proposed Indigenous 'voice' will be to government rather than to parliament". The Conversation . Retrieved 18 July 2020.
  95. ↑ "National Co-design Group". Indigenous Voice. Retrieved 18 July 2020.
  96. ↑ "First Meeting of the Local & Regional Co-Design Group". National Indigenous Australians Agency. 19 March 2020. Retrieved 19 July 2020.
  97. ↑ "Albanese promises to bring Australians together, fully commits to Uluru Statement from the Heart — as it happened". ABC News. 20 May 2022. Retrieved 21 May 2022.
  98. ↑ "October 14 set as Voice to Parliament referendum". ABC News. 30 August 2023. Retrieved 30 August 2023.
  99. ↑ Commonwealth Closing the Gap 2023 Annual Report and 2024 Implementation Plan (PDF) (Report). Australian Government. 2024. p. 60.
  100. ↑ Torre, Giovanni, ed. (2 July 2024). "Greens bring national Truth and Justice Commission law to parliament". National Indigenous Times.
  101. ↑ "Committee invites submissions on Truth and Justice Commission Bill 2024". Parliament of Australia. 8 July 2024.
  102. ↑ Lowrey, Tom, ed. (29 June 2024). "Indigenous Voice architects back Greens push for federal truth and justice commission". abc News. Retrieved 6 August 2024.

Bibliography

Creative Commons by small.svg  This article incorporates text available under the CC BY 4.0 license.

Further reading

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.