Let our First Peoples' speak: to be heard, we must listen

 What is the Voice to Parliament and Recognition about?   Rev Canon Glenn Loughrey of the , Anglican Diocese of Melbourne. addresses this question in his article, Australia must respect First Peoples’ by letting them speak.

"The referendum on Recognition and Voice to Parliament is about people and the trauma of voiceless dispossession." States Rev. Loughrey

"The elements of the Statement from the Heart make a circle. Circles in our tradition are about healing and wholeness. They hold the medicine that heals – respect for self, each other, country and all that live on it. Yindyamarra is a Wiradjurri word that means respect, be gentle, polite, honour, do slowly.  Yindyamarra winhanganha means the wisdom of respectfully knowing how to live well in a world worth living in. 

Each element in the Statement is itself a circle. We begin to heal a little more each time we engage in each stage – Voice, Treaty, Truth, and Makarrata (coming together after a dispute) before we arrive at the centre, which is ongoing healing and wholeness – justice. None of this happens quickly or immediately. It is a process, and it takes the time it takes to move around the circle and back again."

Read the full article: Australia must respect First Peoples’ by letting them speak | By Rev. Canon Glenn Loughrey, Anglican Diocese of Melbourne , 27 March 2023 | The Melbourne Anglican

Listening and Learning

The NCCA has a page on our First Nations section of our website under the Resources tab where we have collated material related to the Uluru Statement of the Heart and The Voice - Referendum. This page will be gradually added to as we discover more resources over the coming weeks and months.

We encourage you to visit our First Nations' Resources page from time to time to find any new items that may have been uploaded.