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.”
Subscribe to our newsletter
If you want to get the latest news from the Uniting Church in Australia then subscribe to our weekly newsletter delivered to your inbox.
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.
Related news
Rev Mark Kickett steps down as UAICC Chair
Rev Mark Kickett steps down as UAICC Chairperson After a long affiliation with the UAICC, Rev Mark Kickett farewelled Congress earlier this monthRev Mark Kickett has stepped down as National Chairperson of the Uniting Aboriginal and Islander Christian Congress (UAICC), concluding his service on 1 March. Rev Kickett served in the role since December 2023,…
Day of Mourning 2026
#UCADayofMourningSunday 25 January Since 1994, the Uniting Church has been in Covenant with the Uniting Aboriginal and Islander Christian Congress (UAICC). Entered into with honesty about our past and hope for the future, this Covenant commits us to working together for a just Church and a just…
Kungan Kaldowinyeri: Listening to Creation
Kungan Kaldowinyeri: Listening to Creation This last semester Uniting College for Leadership and Theology in South Australia has run a second immersive unit taking students on Country, this time led by Uncle Ken Sumner and Rosemary Dewerse “If you want to be reconciled to me, you have to be reconciled to Country first [for]…
Reflection: Conference of our Zimbabwean siblings
Faith, culture and community celebrated Attending the annual conference of the Australia and Oceania Fellowship of the Methodist Church in Zimbabwe deepened Rev Kath Behan’s understanding of cross-cultural partnership and God’s boundless familyby Rev Kath Behan, National Consultant with The AssemblyIn late September, I had the opportunity to attend the annual conference of the Australia…
Welcoming First Nations Economic Empowerment Alliance
UCA, UAICC and UnitingCare Australia welcome First Nations Economic Empowerment Alliance The announcement was made this morning by Prime Minister Anthony Albanese in a speech at the Garma Festival in Gulkula Uniting Church, Uniting Aboriginal and Islander Christian Congress and UnitingCare Australia welcome First Nations Economic Empowerment Alliance as a step toward shared prosperity…
Celebrating NAIDOC Week 2025
Celebrating NAIDOC Week 2025 NAIDOC Week 2025 marks 50 years of honouring Indigenous voices, culture and resilience. The Uniting Church, together with the Uniting Aboriginal and Islander Christian Congress (UAICC), celebrates this milestone and the enduring strength of First Nations peoples. NAIDOC Week has grown into an annual event of hope, truth-telling and a…
Planting Hope: Vision, Volunteers and a Community Revitalised
Planting Hope: Vision, Volunteers and a Community Revitalised A 20-year dream has been fulfilled in the outback terrain of South Australia, bringing the hope of Jesus to a remote communityBy Rob Floyd, National Director of Frontier ServicesIt isn’t often that you embark on an epic journey, through vast expanses of desert, to witness the birth…
Yarta Wandatha: The land is speaking
Yarta Wandatha: the land is speaking, the people are speaking Walking with Elders, learning from their ancient wisdom and wrestling with the lessons that creation – ‘God’s oldest voice’ – has to teach us todayThis article was first published in VOX, the bulletin of the University of Divinity. It is republished with permission. By Dr…