Uluru Statement from the Heart wins the Sydney Peace Prize

It’s more than 4 years since the 250 First Nations people presented us with the Uluru Statement from the Heart and little progress has been made despite overwhelming support from the Australian people. The Sydney Peace Prize should help persuade the Federal Government to act.  

To be clear, First Nations people are not asking for a ‘third chamber of Parliament’. They do want:

A First Nations Voice be enshrined in the Constitution, and a Makarrata Commission to supervise a process of agreement-making between governments and First Nations, and truth-telling about our history.

In announcing the prize, Archie Law, Sydney Peace Foundation Chair said:

The Uluru Statement from the Heart is a call for peace. It is a game changer. The statement is a rallying call to our citizens to ‘walk with us in a movement of the Australian people for a better future’. Uluru provides the leadership that we desperately crave to achieve respect, recognition, and reconciliation.’

The citation:

For bringing together Australia’s First Nations Peoples around a clear and comprehensive agenda; for healing and peace within our Nation and delivering self-determination for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples, that enables Australia to move into the future united and confident

A First Nations Voice, protected by the Constitution, will mean Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people have a say in the laws and policies that impact them. It also means that agreement-making and truth-telling can finally be done on equal terms. With Voice, we can begin the journey of coming together after a struggle – Makarrata.

See here for more.

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