By Michael Zewdie

On 8 May 2026, the Uniting Aboriginal and Islander Christian Congress (UAICC) and the Uniting Church in Australia made a joint submission to the Joint Standing Committee on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Affairs, which is conducting an inquiry into racism, hatred and violence against Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander People.

This submission is not simply a policy document. It is a covenant act — a public expression of who we are called to be as a Church, and a declaration that reconciliation must be lived through action, not merely proclaimed in words.

Why This Submission Matters

The Uniting Church has long understood that our faith compels us to speak when systems cause harm. Since the signing of our Covenant with the UAICC in 1994, we have committed to walking with First Peoples as First and Second Peoples of this land — acknowledging unceded sovereignty and the enduring wounds of colonisation, racism and structural violence.

Our President, Reverend Charissa Suli, has said clearly: "The Covenant reminds us that reconciliation is not symbolic — it must be lived through action." This submission is that action made concrete.

The Uniting Church remains one of the few national institutions in Australia to have formally apologised for its complicity in the Stolen Generations, and to have enshrined its Covenant relationship with First Nations peoples within its Constitution. That history does not allow us to stand aside when racism continues to harm.

What the Evidence Tells Us

The submission draws on a substantial body of evidence to make the case that racism against Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples is not episodic — it is structural and systemic, woven into policy settings, service delivery systems, housing, health care, policing and media narratives.

Data from the 2024 Australian Reconciliation Barometer is stark: 54% of First Nations respondents reported experiencing racism in 2024, compared with 39% in 2014. Among young people aged 18–34, that figure exceeds 60%. These numbers do not reflect personal failings. They reflect systems designed — whether by intent or by neglect — to exclude.

One First Nations person in a Uniting Church congregation put it plainly: "It saddens me that there is a thread of 'it is ok to be racist', woven in the fabric across the lands now called Australia. Systemic racism is there — maybe disguised — but there. Self-determination and reconciliation are words not supported by action."

Ten Recommendations — A Roadmap for Change

The submission makes ten practical, evidence-based recommendations to the Committee. Together, they form a coherent call for structural transformation rather than symbolic gesture.

At the heart of the submission is the conviction that Australia already has the roadmap it needs. The Australian Human Rights Commission's National Anti-Racism Framework is a credible, evidence-based plan. What is lacking is not knowledge, but political courage and sustained investment. Recommendation One and Two call on the Australian Government to urgently fund, endorse and begin implementing this Framework — beginning with the establishment of a National Anti-Racism Taskforce with dedicated focus on First Nations communities.

The submission also calls for an urgent, First Nations-led national summit on youth justice (Recommendation Three), following the National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Legal Services' open letter to the Prime Minister. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander young people are approximately 27 times more likely than non-Indigenous young people to be in detention. This is not a coincidence — it is the result of structural racism embedded across policing, courts and custodial systems. We support the call for prevention-focused, community-led and healing-centred approaches.

On child welfare, the submission highlights that approximately 40–45% of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children live in income poverty — more than double the rate for non-Indigenous children. Recommendations Four and Five call for full implementation of the SNAICC Family Matters Report 2025 and legislative commitment to ending child poverty, with particular focus on the most vulnerable communities.

Health is inseparable from justice. The submission highlights that over 80% of Australians living with Rheumatic Heart Disease are Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander — a disease of poverty and poor infrastructure, entirely preventable. Recommendations Six and Seven call for culturally appropriate housing, environmental health infrastructure and the construction and maintenance of laundry and shower facilities in communities where RHD is prevalent, supported by National Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisations.

Online hate is not a minor concern. Research shows that 88% of Indigenous Australians have seen racism directed at other Indigenous people online, with more than one in five having received direct threats. Recommendation Eight calls for strengthened collaboration between the eSafety Commissioner and First Nations peoples to develop culturally informed regulatory responses.

The submission's most sweeping structural recommendation — Recommendation Nine — calls on government to embed the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP) into policy and legislation across all portfolios. The 17th Assembly of the Uniting Church, held in July 2024, resolved to endorse UNDRIP and to implement its principles throughout the Church's own policies, procedures and practices. We now call on government to do the same.

Finally, Recommendation Ten speaks to what the Uniting Church holds dear: the recognition that addressing racism is not only a political task but a spiritual one. We call on government to establish forums for ecumenical dialogue with First Peoples church representatives — to understand the role of spiritual healing and strengthening as part of a holistic response to the trauma caused by racism, hatred and violence.

Grounded in Covenant, Called to Act

The UAICC Co-Chairs, Reverend Ken Sumner and Reverend Will Pickett, offer this challenge to the nation:

"We witness at this time in our shared history, disturbing echoes of the past overt hatred directed towards our people, and we lament the damage that systemic racism and exclusion have done and continues to do. Hearing truth and being in relationship is not enough — we need to act in unity towards a better future."

The Uniting Church echoes that call. This submission is not the end of our witness — it is a marker in a long walk. We urge the Committee to take these recommendations seriously, and we urge the Australian Government to act with the political courage this moment demands.

Justice delayed, as Reverend Charles Harris reminded us, remains justice denied.

To read the full submission, click on the button below