debateourviews,andmaybecomeupwitha powerful
nationalpositionona specificreform.AttheDarwin
dialogueIwaselectedtobeattheUlurumeetingin
May,2017,andwhen I arrived, there had been a lot of
tension. Within the group there were many different
perspectives, different ideas, different political ideals.
Everyone was at different levels of healing from the
impacts of colonisation. We’re dealing with the toughest
aspects of social dysfunction because of what has
been done to our people, which included purposeful
division. All of that comes together when we come
together. At Uluru it was further exasperated because
there had been at least a decade-long discussion about
constitutional recognition without having engaged us in
a proper process. So there were lots of conversations,
lots of emotion to move this and arrive at a place where
we could proudly stand for something together.There were around 270 Aboriginal and Torres Strait
Islander delegates at the convention, many from
different language groups. They were elected from
the dialogues throughout the continent and adjacent
islands. And we gathered at the foot of Uluru on the
lands of the Anangu people. On the last morning,
Professor Megan Davis read the Uluru Statement from
the Heart, which essentially called for two things: the
establishment of a First Nations Voice enshrined in
the Australian Constitution, and the establishment of
a Makarrata Commission to supervise agreement-
making, or treaty-making, and truth-telling between
governments and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander
peoples. When she finished reading the statement, the
entire room stood as one and gave a standing ovation.
Not one person remained seated. Nearly 300 of us
from all around the country, from all those different
perspectives and feelings, stood as one and endorsed
it. The reason that was so special was because of the
process that happened before it. I saw people who had
been in passionate debate with polarised positions
embracing each other with tears in their eyes—just
so overjoyed and hopeful that we had reached a
consensus after all we’d been through. It was a true
national position. That has never been done before.After the convention we all signed a canvas that was
later painted by four Anangu women, and then the
Uluru Statement was printed in the middle. They
painted the Uluru tjukurpa (law), or Songlines, coming
together where the Statement is printed in the middle.
I was supported by my union to travel the country with
the canvas to help get a people’s movement going
around it—to see that it wasn’t forgotten, and, like other
Indigenous statements and petitions, lost or hung up inthe halls of parliament to gather dust. Not a lot of people
knew about it immediately, and politicians started lying
about it in the media—saying it was a third chamber
of parliament, that it would seek to veto legislation and
that sort of thing. But we powered on. The first place the
Uluru Statement went to was the Yolngu people at the
Garma Festival, and then I took it to the Gurindji people,
which happened to be the time of the Wave Hill Walk-Off
anniversary. Then on and on, 14 months of continuous
travel carrying around this artwork and speaking.The First Nations Voice we are calling for is basically
a national representative body that is protected by
the constitution. Our previous national representative
bodies have been destroyed by the likes of John
Howard, or were just not genuinely chosen by the
people. Because constitutional change must be done
by a referendum, the First Nations Voice will have
the authority and power of the Australian people.
It’ll be more than an act of parliament. That’s the
first goal. The representative body would influence
decisions made about us. It is what I realised was
missing from our advocacy before I got involved.
It is also a vital reform because at the moment,
there is very little community input in the policies
made for Indigenous communities, and these
policies are often damaging to us, and wasteful.Truth-telling is a huge part of the Uluru Statement.
With the process of healing and of Makarrata, of
agreement-making, the truth is really important
because it shows us where action needs to be taken.
The truth of what has been suffered by a particular
party is essentially leverage to achieve what needs
to be done to resolve the issues in treaties or other
agreements. The truth, however, is not worth a whole
lot if there isn’t a voice to tell it in a co-ordinated way.
So this constitutional enshrinement of a First Nations
Voice is vital to truth-telling and treaty-making.I believe the great majority of the Australian people
would support this change if we have that conversation.
This is the step that we want everyone to take with us:
we need the 97 percent of non-Indigenous people to
make this change. Just being angry is not going to bring
healing, nor is mere symbolic gestures; we need action
to change the systemic voicelessness. Makarrata is a
Yolngu word, it means “coming together after a struggle.”
The process of Makarrata is about coming together
with the truth, acknowledging our differences and
moving forward with respect and substantive action.
The Uluru Statement invites us to begin Makarrata
and the first step is to ensure our voices are heard.20 DUMBO FEATHER