The actor Aaron Pedersen got it in one.
When Australians get a chance to come together and vote at a referendum to recognise Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in our Constitution, he said earlier this year, it would be “a simple act of humanity.” He’s right.
As Christians, and as members of the Uniting Church, we have begun to put our own house in order. We can be proud that the Uniting Church was the first church in Australia to adopt a recognition statement in our own constitution. And now we are called to be part of a growing movement of Australians from many faiths and political traditions who are working together to add that recognition into our country’s constitution. We also need to remove racial discrimination from our highest law – like the section that still says the states can ban a whole race of people from voting.
Recognise, the people’s movement behind this campaign, is leading the ‘Journey to Recognition’ – an epic relay across the country to build support for constitutional recognition.
Recognition campaigners have walked, driven, cycled, and paddled over 16,000kms, visiting more than 90 communities, from Melbourne up to Alice Springs, through to Darwin, over to Broome and Perth, with a welcome event held at North Cottesloe Beach on 1 December.
So please sign up as a supporter and be part of this historic moment for our nation. www.recognise.org.au/thejourney
Denise Champion and Andy Hogarth