On 15 September 2023, Dwayne Jeffries of Hope Media on behalf of Better Balanced Futures, representing the faith communities in Australia, interviewed Indigenous Elder Noel Pearson. During the interview, the Hindu community, Islamic communities, Buddhist communities and many others are referenced with regard to supporting First Nations Australia.
The Voice
Faith Community Support for First Nations Voice to Parliament
Supporting a Voice to Parliament: Brotherhood of St Laurence
The Brotherhood of St. Laurence supports the Uluru Statement from the Heart and a ‘yes’ vote in the forthcoming referendum on a First Nations Voice to Parliament. The Brotherhood of St Laurence provides a significant resource detailing the Uluru Statement from the Heart and the Voice to Parliament.
Australian Red Cross position statement regarding Voice to Parliament
Australian Red Cross encourages our staff, members, volunteers, and those that work with us to take time to learn and understand more about these important topics , what a referendum is and what the Voice to Parliament is about so all community members can make their own informed decision at the referendum later this year. We are not advising people on how they should vote in the upcoming referendum, in keeping with our Fundamental Principles of neutrality, independence and unity.
St Vincent de Paul Society Supports Constitutional Recognition and The Voice to Parliament
The National Council of Australia of the St Vincent de Paul Society supports the Uluru Statement from the Heart including Constitutional Recognition and The Voice to Parliament. Our position mirrors the Australian Catholic Bishops and advances the principles of Catholic social justice.
Baptist Mission Australia supports the Voice to Parliament
Baptist Mission Australia supports a constitutionally enshrined Indigenous Voice to Parliament. Australian Baptist Ministries in the peak body of our Australian Baptist movement and in September 2022, the Australian Baptist Ministries National Council endorsed the recommendations of the Uluru Statement from the Heart.
Charities Unite To Support Voice To Parliament
Australia’s major faith-based charitable service networks have united to support Voice to Parliament: “We are deeply committed to a civil society and a world of justice, hope and fairness.” Charities include Anglicare Australia, Baptist Care Australia, Catholic Social Services Australia. St Vincent de Paul Society, The Salvation Army, Uniting Care Australia.
Caritas Australia expresses support for Voice to Parliament
With compassion in our hearts, Caritas Australia embraces and supports the creation of a First Nations Voice enshrined in the Constitution.
National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Catholic Council and the Referendum
At the heart of the upcoming Voice to Parliament Referendum is the recognition of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples, the world’s oldest continuing culture, in the Australian Constitution. As Catholics, we have a responsibility to listen to the voices of First Australians and to work towards a more just and equitable society.
Executive Council of Australian Jewry support YES Vote
Elected Councillors of the Executive Council of Australian Jewry (ECAJ), the peak representative body of the Australian Jewish community, have voted overwhelmingly to support a Yes vote in the upcoming referendum to decide whether to alter the Australian Constitution to establish an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice to make representations to Parliament and the Executive Government on matters relating to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.
Catholic Archbishop of Brisbane: A Pastoral Statement on the Referendum
Archbishop Mark Coleridge of Brisbane has written a Pastoral Statement on the Referendum. In response to the announcement of the referendum date, Archbishop Coleridge writes, “In response, we need first to see the truth of the suffering of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and the disadvantage many experience today as a result. Justice demands that we seek to rectify this disadvantage and its consequences.”
Uniting Church Support for the Voice
The Uniting Church in Australia Assembly and the Uniting Aboriginal and Islander Christian Congress (UAICC) welcome the launch of the campaign to vote Yes in the Referendum which seeks the support of the Australian people for a constitutionally enshrined First Nations Voice.
“We support the Yes vote for the Voice as a pivotal step toward the full implementation of the Uluru Statement, so that as a nation we can finally confront the truth of our past and present and make way for justice.”
Catholic statement on Indigenous Voice to Parliament
As a vote on an Indigenous Voice to Parliament nears, Australia’s bishops have encouraged Catholics to read and discuss the Uluru Statement from the Heart – the document from which the Voice proposal emerged. The annual Social Justice Statement speaks about the place of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples in Australian society.
