A Voice to Parliament will give the Australian Government the opportunity to make policies with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, rather than for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.

At this time, we all need to learn and better understand in Australia about what is meant by Indigenous Constitutional Recognition through a Voice – and what a Voice to Parliament is, and is not, and why a Referendum is required to make it happen. 

From the Heart is the coordinating organisation supporting an Indigenous voice to Parliament referendum and their national field campaign being launched on 23 February will involve recruiting volunteer supporters, door-knockers and grassroots groups.

The NCCA will be represented at the From the Heart launch in Adelaide by Elizabeth Stone, General Secretary and myself. Other launches are planned both in support and against the proposed change to the constitution over coming months.

Sadly some of the public discourse is sounding shrill and fear driven. People engage in debate and do so without considering what the other is saying. The noise created seems like St Paul’s ‘noisy gong or clanging cymbal’. Such debates do not seem to enable understanding to grow and many are becoming frustrated in not being able to have their contribution appreciated. 

At times, in the context of a parable, Jesus asks those with him to listen to what he says. Translations at such moments include an exclamation mark after listen! It seems to be a command and Jesus assumes that when we actively listen we will hear something that contains truth and insight.

Recognising Australia’s First Peoples in the Constitution and affirming the importance of an Indigenous Voice implies an intentional commitment to carefully listen. One sign of listening taking place is being able to pause and acknowledge respectfully what has been said – whether one agrees with the speaker or not. 

At the last NCCA Forum we affirmed the 2017 Uluru Statement from the Heart and prioritised it in the work of the NCCA through our Strategic Roadmap. An action out of this is to ‘give strength to the voice of our First Peoples’. 

We will be representing the member churches of the NCCA in various settings in the lead up to the Voice Referendum and in doing so seek to have the Statement from the Heart taken seriously through study and dialogue. Part of the Uluru Statement includes the call for the establishment of an Indigenous Voice in the Constitution: 

“In 1967 we were counted; in 2017 we seek to be heard. … 

We invite you to walk with us in a movement of the Australian people for a better future.”

We will seek to be genuinely engaging in conversations where different perspectives are shared, so that as we listen we might grow in understanding and gain new insights.  

It is imperative that if there is a Voice enshrined in the Australian Constitution through a Referendum later in 2023, there must also be an equally strong commitment to listen and this needs to be expressed now. May our speech not be noisy and our listening, deep. 

The closing of the Parable of the Sower in Mark 4:9 includes this statement from Jesus: “Let anyone with ears to hear listen!”. 

Rev. John Gilmore

President