Together we are calling for a YES vote on a referendum for a constitutionally enshrined Indigenous Voice to Parliament and a sustained YES for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander justice.
Common Grace appreciates the beautiful and gracious invitation that is the Uluru Statement from the Heart.
We honour the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander voices that have been speaking up since 1788, and mourn the fact that these voices have often not been listened to or taken seriously.
We acknowledge the diversity of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures, peoples and perspectives, and the need to embrace this diversity.
We understand the need for urgent tangible action on injustice, rejecting tokenism and acknowledging that symbolic gestures alone are insufficient.
We acknowledge that sovereignty has never been ceded and recognise the long standing calls to listen to the voices of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, the need to establish treaties, and the importance of national truth-telling.
And so we support a constitutionally enshrined First Nations Voice to parliament as a step along the way to recognising these calls.
We believe that the pursuit of reconciliation and justice is fundamental to being people of love - the essence of being a follower of Jesus.
We know that true Reconciliation will be a gift and a blessing that will enrich the lives and cultures of all peoples who live across Australia and will contribute to our collective healing.
We commit to working with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples to see a successful Yes vote in the upcoming referendum.
We invite you to join a movement of Christians across Australia deeply listening to the calls of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples for justice, through Voice, together with Treaty and Truth-Telling.
Join us in 2023, as we are led by our Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Christian Leaders to listen deeply to the Indigenous voices of the past and present and speak out in support for a YES vote in the referendum for a constitutionally enshrined Indigenous Voice to Parliament and a sustained YES for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander justice.
