At our last AGM, we committed as a fellowship to sign up to the Uluru Statement. You can read more about the statement at https://ulurustatement.org/

We want to do more than just ‘sign on the line’. On the Uluru Statement home page is a ‘Supporters Kit’ https://ulurustatement.org/supporter-kit . You’ll see there that during 2021 they are seeking the feedback and support of the broader Australian community for the Indigenous Voice proposals that were offered to the government last year. They are asking groups and individuals to write a submission supporting their proposals, and I think that as a fellowship, we should write one. This will involve educating ourselves about the Statement.

They suggest that prior to writing the submission, you view three online seminars. (There are also face to face seminars, but none scheduled for Melbourne at the moment). For our Discussion Group this coming Sunday 14 March, I ask you to watch at least ONE of the three seminars before our discussion. They each go for about an hour to an hour and a half. They have fantastic speakers including Indigenous leaders, lawyers and academics. If you have time, watch them all but, if not, please watch just one of them.

They are:

Seminar 1

This webinar will show how First Nation cultural authority identified the need for a substantive structural reform to occur through a deliberately prioritized and sequenced, constitutionally enshrined Voice to Parliament.

Speakers: Megan Davis, Noel Pearson, Dani Larkin

Chaired by Pat Anderson.

Access through the web page https://ulurustatement.org/resources or direct at https://vimeo.com/471637908

Seminar 2

This webinar will also consider questions of sovereignty and Treaty, and why and how the Treaty process will be strengthened from first constitutionally enshrined Voice to Parliament

Speakers: Sean Brennan, Jill Gallagher, Geoffrey Winters

Chaired by Roy Ah See.

Access through the web page https://ulurustatement.org/resources or direct at https://vimeo.com/474087065

Seminar 3

This webinar will provide insight into what the process of truth telling meant for the First Nations authority that participated in the dialouges and why truth telling is considered to be important.

Speakers: Gabrielle Appleby, Pat Anderson, Mark McKenna

Chaired by Megan Davis

Access through the web page https://ulurustatement.org/resources or direct at https://vimeo.com/476514932

You might want to take a note of any particularly striking segments (and their time location in the video) because we will probably all watch different videos. Because we are doing this over Zoom, we could share ‘selected highlights’ that you might have identified.

I have also attached an article, written by a member of our group, Rev. Ralph Catts titled Towards Reconciliation with Indigenous Australians. Please read it before our session on Sunday 14th March.

So, we have work to do before our discussion next week!! Educating ourselves is an important first step, so let’s take it!