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SGS stands in firm support of the Allies for Uluru

Posted May 28, 2024

Author(s):

Ed Wensing, Alison Holloway

SGS Economics and Planning Alliesfor Uluru Banner

Photograph: Misty Morning on Wurundjeri Country by Tiffany Garvie

On 14 October 2023, more than six million Australians said ‘Yes’ to working towards a better future with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.

Following the referendum, Allies for Uluru, a coalition of civil society organisations, corporations, and community groups, reaffirmed their unwavering support for the core principles of the Uluru Statement from the Heart.

Commitments

SGS Economics and Planning, as part of this alliance, commits to:

Actively pursuing the establishment of representative voices for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples.
Supporting sovereign-to-sovereign agreement-making and treaty negotiations.
Advocating for a national truth-telling process as a vehicle for healing.

The Allies for Uluru Statement of Commitment reads:

We will not be fair-weather allies, we will not turn back, and we will not hesitate in continuing to fight for justice and self-determination for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. In line with the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP), self-determination is the right of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples to be in control of decision-making that affects their lives. We recognise that this self-determination must be catalysed by the transfer of funding and decision making to Aboriginal Community Controlled Organisations. As Allies, we will also seek to embody Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander representative voices in our own structures and programs.
As Allies, we must incubate our hope for a better future, yet more than this, we must join our Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples in building the future that we desire. We will do this by continuing to advocate for the rights and aspirations of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples. Where we see pockets of hope or progress – nationally, regionally and locally – we will add our voices to those of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander leaders, organisations and communities.
We call on all Australian governments and opposition parties to work with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples to lay the foundation for a more fair and truthful relationship between Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples and non-Indigenous Australians. We believe that this will deliver a better future for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples, one based on justice and self-determination. In turn, we believe that this will deliver a better future for all Australians.
— Allies for Uluru

The importance of the Uluru Statement from the Heart

26 May is the anniversary of the release of the Uluru Statement from the Heart. The principles of the Uluru Statement from the Heart (Voice, Treaty, Truth) remain the sincere request of all Australians from a very significant and special consensus of First Nations gathered at Uluru in May 2017. The Uluru Statement still highlights what Australia needs to deliver for First Nations people. It is the responsibility of ally organisations to be well informed and to step in solidarity in support of First Nations justice.

Continuing our support

As Allies for Uluru, our demands for justice and self-determination for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples have not changed. We continue to stand in solidarity and unity with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples.

SGS Economics and Planning supports the Statement of Commitment because Indigenous peoples of Australia are entitled to recognition of their distinct rights based on their history. Indigenous peoples never ceded their sovereignty; their lands, waters, sky, and resources were taken without their consent and without a treaty. They were involuntary participants in the union of cultures that comprise Australia, and these issues remain unresolved.

Despite losing the Constitutional Referendum in October 2023, Voice, Treaty, and Truth-telling remain crucial in public policy. Australia must recognise the sovereignty of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, who have stewarded these lands for thousands of years. Otherwise, we will remain a nation built on stolen lands of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples who owned and occupied these lands for thousands of years before colonisation.

SGS Economics and Planning and Allies for Uluru will continue to advocate for justice, self-determination, and a united, fair, and just Australia.

Join the Allies for Uluru

Learn more

Additional resources

Despite ongoing efforts for truth-telling, there is still a lack of research on what drives Australians to engage with our shared history. UNSW and Reconciliation Australia, with participation from Ed Wensing, have stepped into this space with their latest research, "Coming to terms with the past? Identifying barriers and enablers to truth-telling and strategies to promote historical acceptance."
Read the full research.
National Reconciliation Week (27 May - 3 June 2024) is a time for all Australians to learn about our shared histories, cultures, and achievements and explore how we can contribute to reconciliation in Australia. The theme this year "Now More Than Ever", is a powerful reminder that the fight for justice and the rights of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Isalnder people must continue.
Read more about National Reconciliation Week and the theme.
National Reconciliation News, the May edition of Reconciliation News, is a compilation of resources, events and stories around the theme "Now More Than Ever".
Read the publication.
Social Justice Commissioner with the Australian Human Rights Commission, Katie Kiss, explores a way forward after the rejection of an Indigenous Voice to Parliament to fill a void left between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians in the article: "After the Voice...so, what now?"
Read the article.

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Author(s):

Ed Wensing, Alison Holloway