Category Archives: Uluru Statement from the Heart

Albanese deflects questions over Indigenous reconciliation as Coalition blames him for ‘divisive’ campaign

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Prime minister says ‘issues that we sought to address have not gone away’ and that ‘no one is arguing for the status quo’

Anthony Albanese has recommitted to Makarrata – coming together after conflict – but deflected questions about the way forward for reconciliation, citing Indigenous leaders’ wish for a week of silence to grieve the referendum result.

As parliament resumed on Monday, Albanese said he respected the decision not to enshrine an Indigenous voice in the constitution, but added that the principles of “listening to people and getting better outcomes” on which the referendum was based will “continue to guide” him.

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Makarrata commission has so far spent barely half the $900,000 allocated by Labor, documents show

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Exclusive: First look at the truth-telling and treaty-making body’s work comes amid heavy Coalition scrutiny

The federal Makarrata commission for truth-telling and treaty-making has so far spent just a small amount of the funds it was allocated by the government, newly released documents show, with the body focusing on research and talking with state governments about treaty processes already under way.

It is the first look at the work of the Makarrata commission, a body requested by the Uluru statement from the heart and funded by the federal Labor government in its first budget last year, to oversee processes around treaty and truth-telling.

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Indigenous Australians Agency refutes Jacinta Price’s claim that Uluru statement is 26 pages

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Exclusive: Government agency wrote to voice referendum no campaign leader, saying her claim was incorrect and pointing to publicly available one-page document

The National Indigenous Australians Agency has written to Coalition senator and no campaign leader Jacinta Nampijinpa Price to flatly deny her claims that it told her the Uluru statement from the heart was a 26-page document, again confirming it is a one-page document.

It is likely to further escalate tensions in the parliament over the voice referendum, after the prime minister, Anthony Albanese, described Coalition questions about the Uluru statement as “conspiracy theories”. Prof Megan Davis, the Uluru Dialogue co-chair and architect of the Uluru statement, claimed opponents were seeking to “confuse the mainstream media and our political leaders”.

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‘An opportunity to be lifted up’: Anthony Albanese hails local clan council as model of Indigenous voice at Garma festival

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The event began with a solemn and loving tribute to beloved late Gumatj leader Yunupingu

The prime minister, Anthony Albanese, has reaffirmed his commitment to implementing the Uluru statement in full, saying “no one will be hurt by a yes vote in this referendum, but we have an opportunity to be lifted up”.

Asked by reporters if he still was committed to the Uluru statement in full, Albanese simply answered: “yes”.

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Megan Davis dismisses Coalition concerns over Indigenous treaty, saying ‘none of this is secret’

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Exclusive: Uluru statement from the heart architect says information on Labor’s approach to treaty has been ‘on the public record for over half a decade’

Uluru statement from the heart architect Prof Megan Davis says information about the voice and treaty has been “in plain sight” since 2017, downplaying the Coalition’s concerns about treaties and noting such agreements are already in train across multiple states.

Labor has committed to the 2017 Uluru statement in full, including treaty, the second element of the statement, with Anthony Albanese making the pledge on multiple occasions, including his election victory speech.

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Media must not confuse voters about Indigenous support for voice, Anthony Albanese says

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PM reels off names of prominent yes campaigners backing ‘a moment of national unity’

Anthony Albanese has suggested the media has a “responsibility” not to confuse voters about support for the voice among First Nations people, arguing that Indigenous critics are outnumbered by supporters.

The prime minister told ABC Coffs Coast radio that Indigenous leaders have been campaigning for the voice “for a long period of time” as their preferred model of constitutional recognition.

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Indigenous leaders warn that ‘hate is raining down on us’ as voice campaign ramps up

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Minister for Indigenous Australians, Linda Burney, asks nation to ‘lean on the wheel of history and give it a push’

Racism is taking its toll on Aboriginal communities during the voice debate, “and it is going to get tougher”, the minister for Indigenous Australians, Linda Burney, has said at a meeting of the government’s referendum advisory group at Uluru on Friday.

“This is going to be a difficult campaign. It’s one of the reasons that we’ve set aside $10m in the most recent budget for mental health, particularly for Aboriginal people, distributed through the Aboriginal community-controlled health organisations for that very reason,” Burney said.

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NRL joins growing number of sporting codes backing Indigenous voice to parliament

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Major Australian sporting organisations expected to play a significant role in the yes campaign, with AFL and Cricket Australia yet to announce a stance

The National Rugby League is the latest major sporting code to back the Indigenous voice to parliament, joining a growing list of elite athletic organisations campaigning for a yes vote in this year’s referendum.

As the major football codes hold their Indigenous rounds in coming weeks, a long-mooted campaign of support from sporting groups is expected to intensify toward a referendum likely to be held in October – shortly after the AFL and NRL grand finals.

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Pat Dodson takes leave from Senate – as it happened

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Former Tasmanian Liberal premier condemns party’s opposition to voice

Tasmania is the last Liberal state government left in the country and its former premier has taken to social media this morning to speak out against the federal party’s decision to oppose the voice to parliament.

Should the Liberal party maintain its opposition to the voice it will simply accelerate its increasing irrelevance.

I have asked for Cyber Security NSW to issue advice to NSW government employees, to implement this change as soon as possible.

I will no longer be using TikTok.

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Peter Dutton confirms Liberals will oppose Indigenous voice to parliament

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Opposition leader says he will actively campaign against the voice, claiming it ‘won’t deliver outcomes to people on the ground’

Liberal leader Peter Dutton will actively campaign against the Indigenous voice referendum, directing his frontbench to oppose the proposal.

Dutton has instead proposed symbolic recognition in the constitution and a legislated voice, both suggestions which have long been rejected by Indigenous communities and the Uluru statement from the heart.

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Linda Burney warns MPs who walked out on apology not to ‘repeat the mistake’ with the voice

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Those like Peter Dutton who now regret walking out on the stolen generations apology should grasp the opportunity offered by the Uluru statement

The Indigenous Australians minister, Linda Burney, will warn those who boycotted the apology to the stolen generations in 2008 – among them the opposition leader, Peter Dutton – not to “repeat the mistakes of the past” and grasp the opportunity offered by the Uluru statement from the heart.

Dutton was the most senior of a handful of Coalition MPs who walked out of parliament when the then Labor prime minister, Kevin Rudd, formally apologised to the stolen generations in 2008.

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Myanmar backflip on Sean Turnell’s amnesty leaves government ‘deeply concerned’ – as it happened

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‘We have to change the attitudes … it won’t matter what day’, McCarthy says

Malarndirri McCarthy, the assistant minister for Indigenous affairs and Yanyuwa Garrawa woman, says Australia Day has always been a time of reflection for her – both on the brutality her people experienced and celebration of the nation.

We know the 26 January always brings debate, I mean, look at the last 10 years with people talking about changing the date. I’ve been on the record saying, well, I think we have to change the attitudes across our country, it won’t matter what day.

We ought to be proud of our country at some point in a united way. And whether it’s the 26th of January or another day, that’s something that our country has to mature and grow towards.

[I’m] disappointed. For a couple of reasons: if we look at the United Nations declaration of Indigenous peoples ... nothing in the declaration undermines the authority of the state, the country’s government. In Australia we did not cede ownership of Australia. Regrettably, it was determined by the British on the day, that terra nullius existed in Australia, which was overturned in 1992 through the Mabo high court decision ... whilst we haven’t ceded ... we haven’t progressed that matter.

It’s important that we as Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people have an opportunity to be able to contribute to policies that impact us, and programs and legislation – and that’s the first step. And we’ll go down and address the other matters, truth-telling is already progressing, treaty, although some states already looking at treaties within their own jurisdictions. So, I feel a bit offended when we’re starting to determine that the support or determination of whether to support a voice is predetermined by whether you address some of the other issues in Indigenous affairs. As I said in my speech last night, they can co-exist, these approaches. If you support the principle of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people having input into policy and legislation, that’s what you should support - it shouldn’t be predicated on whether other things are happening.

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‘Blak Greens’ say they won’t support Indigenous voice without treaty negotiations

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Greens take lead from First Nations advisory group, saying they need progress on truth, treaty and voice before they’ll support the referendum

The Greens’ First Nations advisory group has laid out its conditions for supporting the voice to parliament, saying it must be subject to treaty negotiations with the government.

Pending further negotiations with the government, the Greens are holding out on explicitly supporting the looming referendum, wanting further progress on all three elements outlined in the Uluru statement from the heart: truth, treaty and voice.

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Essential poll: three-quarters of voters believe cost-of-living crisis will worsen but majority give Albanese thumbs up

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More than 60% also say they support the Indigenous voice to parliament, with the Liberal party at risk of alienating younger voters if it backs the Nationals’ position

Australians are bracing for increased consumer prices, expensive power bills and higher interest rates in the year ahead, but 40% of Guardian Essential poll respondents think 2023 will be better than 2022.

The nascent optimism as the summer break approaches comes ahead of a special sitting of federal parliament on Thursday to pass new legislation capping gas prices, which is the first tranche of an intervention to reduce power bills.

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National party won’t support Indigenous voice to parliament, saying it won’t close the gap

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The Liberals are yet to reach a position on the referendum, which is expected by the end of 2023

The Nationals will not support the proposal for a voice to parliament, putting a dent in hopes for bipartisan support for a referendum on Indigenous constitutional recognition.

The Liberal party is still to settle its party room position on the pending referendum, but at least some members of the junior Coalition partner will campaign actively against the change.

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Lidia Thorpe wants action on treaty and truth before campaigning for Indigenous voice

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Greens senator says she won’t put her energy into ‘yes’ campaign until there is ‘concrete progress’ on other elements of Uluru statement from the heart

Greens senator Lidia Thorpe wants the Albanese government to make “concrete progress” on the other parts of the Uluru statement from the heart before publicly supporting Labor’s voice to parliament.

She has also called for this month’s budget to include $40m funding for treaty and truth.

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First ad for yes vote on Indigenous voice asks all Australians to talk about referendum

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‘History is calling’, according to ad from Uluru Dialogue group, which says it’s the start of a ‘journey of nation-building’

The first ad campaign to encourage a yes vote in a referendum on an Indigenous voice to parliament is an emotive pitch targeted at everyday Australians from different walks of life.

The Uluru Dialogue group has produced the ad to support its voice referendum campaign, “History is calling”. It coincides with one local council making a call for 1,000 volunteers to sign up for a training program to raise support for a yes vote.

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Don’t let ‘low bar politics’ hold back Indigenous voice, advocate to say in Lingiari lecture

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Thomas Mayor compares current fight for constitutional recognition to 1960s Wave Hill walk-off that led to land rights

Australia should reject “low bar politics” and act with the courage of Indigenous land rights leader Vincent Lingiari to fight for constitutional recognition and a voice to parliament, Thomas Mayor will argue in the annual Lingiari lecture.

The Torres Strait Islander man, Uluru Statement from the Heart advocate and maritime union member will give the annual oration at the Freedom Day festival in the remote Northern Territory community of Kalkaringi on Friday evening.

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‘It’s not wise to be rushed’: Linda Burney says government will consult extensively on Indigenous voice

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Minister says Labor’s plan is ‘five years in the making’ as she seeks to clear up confusion about approach

The Indigenous Australians minister, Linda Burney, says there will be extensive consultation with Indigenous leaders and engagement with the wider Australian community as the Labor government seeks to enshrine a voice to parliament in the constitution.

Burney, speaking at the Garma festival in Arnhem Land, also said Labor had a plan “five years in the making”, as she sought to clear up questions and confusion about the government’s approach.

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Indigenous voice campaigners say ample detail already available in wake of PM’s stirring speech

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Uluru Statement from the Heart advocates praise Anthony Albanese’s Garma festival speech but Coalition wants more details

The prime minister, Anthony Albanese, acknowledged we have been here before as a nation: at a crossroads, about to decide a path that will affect the lives of Aboriginal and Torres Islander people for generations to come.

But for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, this time the stakes are so much higher, because the past is littered with the broken promises of politicians.

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