On 24th August Shirley Lewis and Lyn Bevington joined us on ZOOM for their presentation on the Uluru Statement from the Heart. The background to the development of this historic document was given.
In its simplest form, The Uluru Statement calls for the establishment of a First Nations Voice which will be added to the existing Constitution.
It is their proposition that the Aboriginal people or The First Nations are a multitude of diverse cultures, who live in an array of differing environments, and who speak hundreds of languages and dialects.
Their sovereignty pre-existed the establishment Australian Commonwealth. They believe that Aboriginal communities here should be in control of their own affairs. Right across Australia, First Nations took their fight to the government, the people and the international community. This resulted in The 1967 Referendum, where The First Nations forged a historic consensus on structural reform and constitutional change.
The Uluru Statement from the Heart is an invitation from First Nations to “walk with us in a movement of the Australian people for a better future”. It was issued to the Australian people in May 2017 following almost two years of work and to commemorate the 50th anniversary of The 1967 Referendum,
As it is written on their website: In 1967 we were counted, in 2017 we seek to be heard. We invite you to walk with us in a movement of the Australian people for a better future.
Our thanks to Shirley and Bev for their advocacy on this most critical matter.