Diverse religious Australians make moral case for the voice referendum
The Voice Referendum “Week of Action” has launched Statements from the Soul, a collection of passionate essays by Australians of diverse religions, making the moral case for Indigenous constitutional recognition through a Voice.
The event was held at Sydney’s The Great Synagogue.
Stan Grant joined Buddhist, Christian, Hindu, Jewish, Muslim and Sikh contributors, demonstrating leaders from diverse religious and cultural communities uniting to support the referendum as an opportunity for healing, reconciliation and improved practical outcomes.
Essays by prominent religious leaders like the Anglican Archbishop of Sydney, Kanishka Raffel, and the Catholic Archbishop of Melbourne, Peter Comensoli, explain why their support for the Voice referendum is underscored by Christian teaching.
Liberal politician Russell Broadbent and former Vice President of the federal Liberal Party, Karina Okotel, have also contributed essays making the moral case for a constitutional Voice, showcasing goodwill across the political spectrum.
The former chief justice of NSW, Tom Bathurst, who launched Statements from the Soul¸ told the Law Society of NSW last year that Australia “won’t achieve a system that is just until First Nations communities and elders are not merely consulted but have an active role in the formation of the laws and processes which affect them, including constitutional recognition.”
The book builds on the unprecedented coalition of peak religious organisations which released a joint resolution calling for bipartisan action on the Voice referendum in May last year.
The Federation of Ethnic Communities Councils of Australia (FECCA) has also rejected the ‘No’ campaign’s attempt to attract migrants as “offensive”, and confirmed “resounding support” for the Voice referendum among ethnic communities.
Peter Wertheim, co-CEO of the Executive Council of Australian Jewry which is co-hosting the Sydney launch with the Great Synagogue, said “many Jews have played a prominent part in this debate, and so it is natural for us to get behind this rallying cry of support that crosses religious and political divisions. It shows that the Uluru Statement goes to the heart of who we are as a country and is essential to reconciliation.”
Noel Pearson writes in his foreword that at “a time of uncertainty and anxiety about … whether our fellow Australians will accept the outstretched hand of the Uluru Statement”, reading these essays “revived my optimism about the cause to which these great essays are responding.”
“Words can make and remake the world. It remains to be seen whether the Uluru Statement from the Heart will count in the history of the Australian people as words that remade Australia,” Mr Pearson writes.
“We are continuing to listen and learn from Indigenous brothers and sisters who ask us to journey together, to accept their invitation to friendship and partnership – to walk along together,” writes Anglican Archbishop Kanishka Raffel.
Carina Okotel said, “As the prophet Isaiah said, ‘Learn to do right; seek justice. Defend the oppressed. Take up the cause of the fatherless; plead the case of the widow.’ It is this voicelessness that a First Nations Voice seeks to address.”
“To put it very crudely, Australian politics is all about votes – the more votes, the bigger say you get. Representing only 3 per cent of the population, the Indigenous vote cannot easily wrangle election commitments from the major parties or apply significant pressure on a government to demand the reforms they need.”
The book was a project of the Radical Centre Reform Lab at Macquarie University Law School, supported by Foundation Donors Henry and Marcia Pinskier. It was co-edited by Dr Shireen Morris, Director of the Reform Lab, and Damien Freeman, founder of conservative organisation Uphold & Recognise.
Dr Morris said it was “inspiring to see Australians of diverse backgrounds advocating for the modest constitutional reform Indigenous people seek. We all bear responsibility for the success or failure of this referendum. Multifaith and multicultural Australians have a crucial role to play.”
Statements from the Soul: The Moral Case for the Uluru Statement from the Heart is published by La Trobe University Press, and available online and in bookstores.
