This week is National Reconciliation Week, the crucial annual event observed in Australia to promote reconciliation between Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and non-Indigenous Australians. It aims to nurture an inclusive and equitable society by recognising and addressing the historical injustices faced by Indigenous Australians.
Held from May 27 to June 3 each year, the dates are significant as they commemorate two important milestones in the reconciliation journey. 27 May marks the anniversary of the 1967 referendum, in which over 90% of Australians voted to amend the Constitution to include Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples in the national census and grant the federal government powers to make laws for Indigenous peoples. 3 June commemorates the High Court of Australia’s landmark Mabo decision in 1992, which recognised Native Title rights for Indigenous Australians.
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Images: Tarrangower Times
Some indigenous elders are about to experience their second referendum in a lifetime: The Proposed Indigenous Voice to Parliament. The concept of a Voice to Parliament emerged from the Uluru Statement from the Heart, which was the result of a national Indigenous-led consultation process in 2017. And later this year, all Australians will be given the chance to actively participate in building a more harmonious future by voting in favour of an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice to Parliament.
The Uluru Statement from the Heart called for the establishment of a ‘First Nations Voice’ in the Australian Constitution. The proposed Voice would be a representative body for Indigenous Australians, providing them with a platform to express their views and participate in decision-making processes that directly affect them, such as policies, legislation, and programs. It aims to address the historical marginalisation and exclusion of Indigenous peoples from democratic processes that impact their daily lives.
The Holy Trinity Anglican Church in Maldon, on Djaara Country, is deeply committed to cultivating understanding, respect, and relationships with the Dja Dja Wurrung people, as well as with all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. With the theme for this year’s National Reconciliation Week being ‘Be a Voice for Generations’, Rev’d Darcy extends an invitation to a panel discussion aiming to amplify First Nations Peoples’ voices and lend support to the campaign for a more reconciled country.
How should faith inform our vote?
The panel is posing the question: How should faith inform our vote? Rev’d Darcy says, “The Uluru Statement from the Heart is a gracious appeal for non-indigenous people to listen to the needs of our First Nations peoples with openness and kindness.” He is concerned that we can’t hear the tone of the appeal and asks us to view the process as an opportunity to embody love, forgiveness and a commitment to peace.
Wiradjuri elder, artist, first indigenous canon for St Paul’s Cathedral and panel speaker, Rev’d Glenn Loughrey expresses a similar notion. “A lot of people are in fear. On one side, fear isn’t going to offer enough, and on the other, fear it is going to take something away,” Rev’d Loughrey says. In the end, this only gets in the way of experiencing the connection that exists between us all. “If we can look beyond any apprehension or self-interest, there is a much deeper relationship to be had, with each other and the entire earth,” he says.
In his publication Unpacking the Statement from the Heart, Rev’d Loughrey states, “One of the interesting things about the creative dynamic of the Statement from the Heart is that it is a justice or heart-healing tool. It is restorative justice writ large.”
“The Voice isn’t perfect,” Rev’d Loughrey tells the Times, “but this is a journey, and one that we consider will take seven generations together as a community, to heal. We’re three generations in. The Voice is a step towards Sovereignty, a Treaty and Truth, and on a path to true reconciliation.
These steps make up the process leading to a resolution of the past and a creative response to the future by enacting reconciliation in the present.”
Over 90% of Indigenous Australians identify as Christian, but Rev’d Darcy is hoping that people who don’t attend church will also come to the panel and leave with “practical ideas and heartfelt ways of approaching complex and nuanced issues.”
The 2021-22 Sydney Peace Prize was awarded to the Uluru Statement from the Heart and at the awards ceremony keynote address, Professor Megan Davis, Pro Vice-Chancellor Indigenous UNSW had this to say, “The Constitution is meant to change. It is built to change. By us… the Australian people.”
Coming together as a community to normalise having difficult conversations is a process of reconciliation that will benefit society for generations to come. In good faith, it’s time to put aside our preconceived notions, let go of our fears and walk together towards a better place for all of us who call this great land our home.
The panel will be held at the Holy Trinity Anglican Church, Maldon on Sunday 4 June at 4pm. The event is free, and all are welcome to attend.
This article appeared in the Tarrangower Times, 2 June 2023.
