What was the significance of Uluru Statement from the Heart?
Answer
A 2017 call by Indigenous Australians for constitutional reform and treaty
Explanation
The Uluru Statement from the Heart is the one-page document issued on 26 May 2017 at the National Constitutional Convention of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander delegates held at Mutitjulu, near Uluru in the Northern Territory. It calls for three reforms in sequence: a constitutionally enshrined Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice to Parliament, a Makarrata Commission to oversee agreement-making (treaty), and a process of truth-telling about Australian history.
The Statement was the product of the Referendum Council appointed by Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull and Opposition Leader Bill Shorten in 2015. The Council ran 13 regional dialogues across the country involving more than 1,200 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander delegates, building toward the Mutitjulu convention where 250 delegates met for four days. The final statement was endorsed by all but a small number of delegates and was read aloud by Megan Davis, Cobble Cobble woman and constitutional law professor, on 26 May 2017.
The text is brief and direct. It begins by stating that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples are the first sovereign Nations of the Australian continent, that this sovereignty is a spiritual notion, and that it was never ceded. It describes the high rate of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander incarceration, child removal, and other structural disadvantages, and asks for the Voice as a way for Indigenous peoples to be heard in the laws and policies that shape their lives. The Statement was delivered alongside the ceremonial canvas signed by delegates and is now displayed at the Australian Parliament House.
The Voice element of the Statement was put to a national referendum on 14 October 2023 by the Albanese Labor government. Voters were asked whether to alter the Constitution to recognise the First Peoples of Australia by establishing an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice. The proposal was defeated nationally, with 60.1 per cent voting No, and was carried in no state. After the result, supporters of the Statement reaffirmed their commitment to Voice, Treaty, and Truth through other paths. Several states (notably Victoria) have continued treaty processes outside the federal Constitution. The Yoorrook Justice Commission in Victoria (established 2021 as the country's first formal truth-telling commission) produced major reports from 2023 onwards. The continuing work of the Statement remains a central feature of Australian Indigenous policy.
Why this matters for your test
The Uluru Statement is the central Indigenous constitutional document of the twenty-first century, and recognising the 2017 convention plus the 2023 Voice referendum defeat is essential modern history.
Source: Australian Citizenship: Our Common Bond (2024)
