Uniting for the Voice
Uniting Church Assembly and Uniting Aboriginal and Islander Christian Congress welcome the campaign for a First Nations Voice
February 23, 2023
The Uniting Church in Australia Assembly and the Uniting Aboriginal and Islander Christian Congress (UAICC) welcome the launch of the campaign to vote Yes in the Referendum which seeks the support of the Australian people for a constitutionally enshrined First Nations Voice.
“We support the Yes vote for the Voice as a pivotal step toward the full implementation of the Uluru Statement, so that as a nation we can finally confront the truth of our past and present and make way for justice.”
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Together Uniting Church President Rev Sharon Hollis and UAICC Interim National Chair Rev Mark Kickett affirmed their strong support for a Voice to Parliament as a critical step toward honouring the sovereignty of First Nations Australians in this land and furthering the work of truth-telling and treaty.
“This is an historic opportunity for Australia to acknowledge and honour First Nations people and their deep spiritual ties to this land and to walk together as a nation toward a better future,” said Rev Hollis.
“We support the Yes vote for the Voice as a pivotal step toward the full implementation of the Uluru Statement, so that as a nation we can finally confront the truth of our past and present and make way for justice.”
Rev Kickett said now was the time for Australians to unite in support of justice for First Peoples.
“The Uluru Statement is an invitation given by First Nations people to the people of Australia,” said Rev Kickett. “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.”
“In the same way the 1967 Referendum brought Australians together, this is an opportunity for all of us to unite in a big way as we seek to restore justice and promote healing for First Nations people in this land,” said Rev Kickett.
Rev Hollis said the Voice to Parliament was a moral and theological issue, not a political one.
“In the Uniting Church we believe we share a common destiny with our UAICC siblings, and First Nations people. This is an opportunity for us to honour that commitment.”
“As Second Peoples and as Christians in this land, we are called to confront the oppression, dispossession and racism faced by First Nations people.”
Rev Kickett said the Covenant in the Uniting Church tied First and Second Peoples together in a binding way so that together we may contribute to a more just Church and nation.
“Now is the time for us to hear the call of God to seek justice by doing what is right for our nation,” said Rev Kickett.
“Like Jesus, we are called to be bearers of justice, not just in our words, but in our actions and by changing systems which continue to deny the place and rights of the first Australians.”
As the campaign begins, Rev Hollis and Rev Kickett encourage Uniting Church people and communities to inform themselves about the Uluru Statement and what it asks of our nation and to create respectful spaces for yarning about the impact a First Nations Voice will make.
Find resources to begin that conversation here:
https://uniting.church/voice/
https://yes23.com.au/
https://ulurustatement.org/
https://www.ncca.org.au/first-nations-resources/resources/item/2991-a-voice-to-parliament
Photo: Week of Action for the Yes campaign launch, Adelaide. Credit: From the Heart.
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