Opinion: The Uluru Statement from the Heart

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“We, gathered at the 2017 National Constitutional Convention, coming from all points of the southern sky, make this statement from the heart: Our Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander tribes were the first sovereign Nations of the Australian continent and its adjacent islands, and possessed it under our own laws and customs. This our ancestors did, according to the reckoning of our culture, from the Creation, according to the common law from ‘time immemorial’, and according to science more than 60,000 years ago. This sovereignty is a spiritual notion: the ancestral tie between the land, or ‘mother nature’, and the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples who were born therefrom, remain attached thereto, and must one day return thither to be united with our ancestors. This link is the basis of the ownership of the soil, or better, of sovereignty. It has never been ceded or extinguished, and co-exists with the sovereignty of the Crown. How could it be otherwise? That peoples possessed a land for sixty millennia and this sacred link disappears from world history in merely the last two hundred years? With substantive constitutional change and structural reform, we believe this ancient sovereignty can shine through as a fuller expression of Australia’s nationhood. Proportionally, we are the most incarcerated people on the planet. We are not an innately criminal people. Our children are aliened from their families at unprecedented rates. This cannot be because we have no love for them. And our youth languish in detention in obscene numbers. They should be our hope for the future. These dimensions of our crisis tell plainly the structural nature of our problem. This is the torment of our powerlessness. We seek constitutional reforms to empower our people and take a rightful place in our own country. When we have power over our destiny our children will flourish. They will walk in two worlds and their culture will be a gift to their country. We call for the establishment of a First Nations Voice enshrined in the Constitution. Makarrata is the culmination of our agenda: the coming together after a struggle. It captures our aspirations for a fair and truthful relationship with the people of Australia and a better future for our children based on justice and self-determination. We seek a Makarrata Commission to supervise a process of agreement-making between governments and First Nations and truth-telling about our history. In 1967 we were counted, in 2017 we seek to be heard. We leave base camp and start our trek across this vast country. We invite you to walk with us in a movement of the Australian people for a better future.”

In solidarity, I Jasmine H. Low, stand on the unceded lands of the Gadigal people, and pay my respects to their elders past, present and emerging. This statement ought to be one of the first things shared with all Australians, and their neighbours, such that they too embrace the essence and truth of the land they call home. Acknowledging history is paramount to a bright future.

Take Action

Acknowledgement of Country

Include this statement on websites, speeches and company statements: ‘In the spirit of reconciliation, I acknowledge the Traditional Custodians of country throughout Australia and their connections to land, sea and community. We pay our respect to their Elders past and present and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples today.’

Quick links:

• Australia’s first indigenous female MP, Linda Burney will be Australia’s Minister of Indigenous Affairs: Linda Burney MP.

• Read about the “Uluru Statement from the Heart” call for action: https://ulurustatement.org/take-action/yarrabah-affirmation/.

• Sydney Writer’s Festival featured Contributing Editor Teela Reid and Editor Ashley Hay as Griffith Review 76: Acts of Reckoning opens a dialogue for diverse voices, opportunities and perspectives to be articulated, examined and assessed.

• The Merdeka Story, a yarn about Malaysia, Australia, colonial pasts and connecting the dots between small things to big things: https://www.jasminelow.com/from-little-things-big-things-grow/.

• Motherland, about migration and the meaning behind the new proposed new lyrics of the Australian Recognition in Anthem: https://www.jasminelow.com/motherland-liminal-mag-submission/.

• The 31st Prime Minister of Australia, Anthony Albanese affirmed his commitment to the Uluru Statement from the Heart in his victory speech: https://youtu.be/77N_cxPJvkE.

Image credit: Thomas Mayor – Uluru Statement from the heart