Voice to Parliament Resources
During this year, Australians will be asked to consider supporting a Voice to Parliament for the First Nations of our country.
Through a referendum we will be asked to support a constitutionally enshrined First Nations Voice.
Rev Mark Kickett, National Interim Chair of the Uniting Aboriginal and Islander Christian Congress notes: 'A constitutionally enshrined Voice will shape and guide the relationship between First and Second Peoples in this country by enabling our people to have a say in the decisions that impact our communities.'
Our Uniting Church members, along with other Australians, are engaging in the conversation about a First Nations Voice and The Uluru Statement from the Heart. We have resources that have been developed by Uniting Church communities and other government and non-government agencies. There are panel conversations and podcasts of First Nations people reflecting on what the Uluru Statement from the Heart and the Voice can mean for our nation.
We have made these resources and links available on our Uniting Church SA website. If you have other resources that you would like included, please contact the Moderator’s office by emailing in the first instance: Turn on Javascript!.
Mr Bronte Wilson
Moderator
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The National YES Campaign for the Voice to Parliament referendum launched in Adelaide at Tandanya National Aboriginal Cultural Institute on 23rd February. In March, the referendum working group will finalise its recommendations to the government, with the constitutional amendment bill introduced into parliament. The bill needs to pass with an absolute majority in both houses, before being put to a referendum within two to six months. The government is saying the referendum will likely be held between August and November, depending on the passage of the bill.
The Uniting Church in Australia (UCA) and the Uniting Aboriginal and Islander Christian Congress (UAICC) have supported the Uluru Statement from the Heart, and the call for Voice Treaty Truth from its inception in 2017.
Further information and a range of helpful resources are availabe at the following links:
Churches Together SA
National Council of Churches
Common Grace
From the Heart
Indigenous Constitutional Recognition through a Voice - Overview (fromtheheart.com.au)
Join Now - Constitutional Recognition through a Voice - From The Heart
Together, Yes - First Nation’s Voice to parliament (togetheryes.com.au)
Anglican Board of Mission, 'A Voice in the Wilderness: listening to the Statement to the Heart' (2018), https://www.abmission.org/resources/a-voice-in-the-wilderness/
Explainer: A Constitutionally Guaranteed First Nations Voice
Statement from the Heart Study Guide
Discussion Resource Kit
Voice Treaty Truth – Symposium 2022