We accept the invitation of the Uluru Statement from the Heart and support a First Nations Voice to Parliament enshrined in the Australian Constitution. We commit to learning from the First Peoples of this land now called Australia, and humbly share some resources below that we have found helpful.
There are few issues as important today as how we can best recognise and respect the first peoples and promote their well-being. How do we as Christians seek to live as people of reconciliation? How can we walk and live together as people of compassion, justice, peace and hope?
Our congregation is developing a Walking Together plan and you can scroll down to read our blog about some of the other ways we are expanding our cultural knowledge in the stories that are grouped below the resource list.
Towards a Voice to Parliament
Resources to help us
become better allies
Have you read the Uluru Statement from the Heart? It’s a great place to start. Take a few minutes to sit quietly and engage fully with this important invitation to the nation to create a better future.
Common Grace: Treaty
This beautiful, captivating animation illustrates why treaty is needed (2min 47sec; watch here). It is brought to you by Common Grace, a movement of people pursuing Jesus and justice. You can find more of their resources and activities on their Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Justice page here.
Webinar: discussion panel
The panel of indigenous leaders and historians engage in a respectful and robust discussion around the Statement and explore the place of history and truth telling in working toward that Makarrata which is the ‘coming together after a struggle’ for the sake of a more just and self-determined future for First Nations people.
Panel Members: Nathan Tyson (Anaiwon/Gomeroi man and Manager, First Peoples Strategy and Engagement in the NSW/ACT Synod); Rev Emily Hayes (John Flynn Memorial Church, Alice Springs); Dr Laura Rademaker (Historian at ANU: author of ‘Found in Translation: Many Meanings on a North Australian Mission’); and the Rev Tim Matton-Johnson (Panninher man, currently living on Mumirimina country). The webinar was recorded live on 21 July 2022, and you can watch it here (1hr 33min).
Webinar: Pat Anderson
and Megan Davis
The winner of the 2021-22 Sydney Peace Prize was the Uluru Statement from the Heart. Join First Nations leaders Pat Anderson AO and Professor Megan Davis in conversation about the Uluru Statement from the Heart and its three objectives: a Voice to Parliament, Treaty, and Truth. The webinar was presented on 3rd Aug, 2022, and you can watch or listen to it here. (1hr)
Documentaries
Make time to watch “The Australian Wars” on SBS: so far there are 3 episodes scheduled to air of approx 1hr each. “The First Australians” documentary series on SBS tells the history of Australia from an Indigenous peoples’ perspective with seven episodes of 52 mins each.
Sovereignty and Treaty:
a discussion guide
Sovereignty is about honouring those who were here first and starting to negotiate a new way for us to occupy this land together. It raises many issues and questions, challenging assumptions and beliefs. Maybe if we can name what the issues are for us – what we are curious about, what we fear, what we want to know – we can have a more open conversation. Rev Dr Chris Budden offers this 4-page guide for meaningful discussions and reflection in small groups or on your own.
Fact check: a third chamber?
Some politicians and pundits claim the Voice to Parliament would be a ‘third chamber’. Five constitutional law experts weigh in to answer this question: Will the Voice be a third Chamber? (ABC news written article, 23/09/22, 5min read here)
Boyer Lecture 2022
Bringing them home: a community guide
Indigenous children have been forcibly removed from their families and communities since the very first days of the European occupation of Australia. In that time, not one Indigenous family has escaped the effects. Most families have been affected in one or more generations by the removal of one or more children.
The National Inquiry into the separation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Children From Their Families was established in 1995. This guide provides a summary of the major themes, findings and recommendations, and you can find it here. There is a 32-min video here.
The Healing Foundation
The Healing Foundation is a national Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander organisation that provides a platform to amplify the voices and lived experience of Stolen Generations survivors and their families, promoting trauma-aware, healing-informed practice to help government, policymakers, and workforces understand their role in intergenerational healing. Their website provides a wealth of resources on intergenerational trauma, community healing and more, that can also aid enquirers seeking to further educate themselves about trauma that was caused by colonisation and actions like the forced removal of children.
Faith leads to action
Survival Day: a reflection
Michael reflects on the 26th January for 2023, urging us onto action as well as reflection.
Aboriginal Sunday/Day of Mourning
Event: Sunday 22nd Jan, 2023, at 9am
Join us in recognising Aboriginal Sunday as we Hear the Voices from the Past so together we can walk into the future. Each year the Uniting Church marks this Day of Mourning to reflect on the dispossession of Australia’s First Peoples, and the ongoing in justices faced by them in this land. You are warmly invited us to join us for this special service at the church.
Voice and the Church
John H. tells a little of his experience when attending the “Voice and the Church” conference presented by Scarred Tree Indigenous Ministries at St John’s Anglican Church in Glebe.
Book Club adds cultural learning
Book club members speak about their journey of learning and growing in their understanding of our history, and how this has changed their thinking and provided direction for the future.
NAIDOC 2022 at Cronulla
Margaret describes her enjoyment of the local council celebrations for NAIDOC week, attending as part of a group from our congregation.
January 26th
How does the church respond to the historical and current events of 26th January in Australia? What role can it play in promoting justice and reconciliation?
Aboriginal Sunday/Day of Mourning
Each year the Uniting Church marks a Day of Mourning to reflect on the dispossession of Australia’s First Peoples and the ongoing injustices faced by First Nations people in this land. Today, you are invited to reflect on the effects of invasion and colonisation on First Peoples.
Aboriginal Sunday: Day of Mourning
Event: 23rd January 2022
Sunday 9.00-10.15am
You are invited to read and watch our third annual service to reflect upon and lament the effect of the invasion and colonisation of this nation upon First Peoples, using resources from the Uniting Aboriginal and Islander Christian Congress of the Uniting Church, and from the organisation Common Grace.
#Change the Heart live simulcast
Event: Tuesday 25th Jan, 2022
7.30-9.00pm
We watched the #ChangeTheHeart simulcast then met online to discuss about what we have learned and how we respond, followed by a time of prayer.
NAIDOC Week 2021
Learn and act: resources to read, watch, petition, pray and give.