Indigenous Australia
10 ways your business can support the Uluru Statement from the Heart
Wanting to support the Uluru Statement from the Heart but not sure how? We’ve created a list of 10 ways that you and your business can learn, engage and take tangible action toward a more equitable Australia.
What is the Uluru Statement from the Heart?
The Uluru Statement from the Heart is an invitation for all Australians to walk alongside Aboriginal and Torre Strait Islander Peoples for a better future. It was first delivered in 2017 at the First Nations Constitutional Convention.
The Statement aims to achieve three key reforms – Voice, Treaty and Truth-telling - in that order.
The Statement aims to achieve three key reforms – Voice, Treaty and Truth-telling - in that order.
Voice
Refers to a First Nations Voice, guaranteed by the Constitution, to provide a permanent platform for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander voices to be heard by Parliament. Its role is to amplify the opinions of First Nations Peoples, particularly on issues related to them, enshrined in the constitution through a referendum. For more information about the Voice to Parliament read here.
Treaty
A treaty with First Nations Peoples. A Makarrata Commission would oversee this process, which would see the unceded sovereignty of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples co-exist with that of the Crown. What is a Makarrata? The Yolngu concept of Makarrata captures the idea of two parties coming together after a struggle, healing the divisions of the past. It is about acknowledging that something has been done wrong, and it seeks to make it right. For more information about Treaty read here.
Truth-telling
The Makarrata Commission would oversee truth-telling about Australia’s difficult history, allowing a space for the full extent of injustices experienced by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples to be told, recorded, and acknowledged. For more information about Truth-telling read here.
In a hurry?
Click on the link below to go straight to the section you’re most interested in:
- Read the Statement
- Show your Support
- Share your Support
- Learn about the traditional custodians of your local area
- Acknowledgement of Country
- Encourage your workplace to learn about cultural competency and its importance
- Implement workplace activities to encourage learning
- Implement a Reconciliation Action Plan
- Write a letter to your local MP
- Donate
How can you and your workplace support the Uluru Statement from the Heart?
1. Read the statement
Read the Uluru Statement from the Heart and encourage your colleagues to do the same.
Here are some resources if you’re interested in learning more:
Here are some resources if you’re interested in learning more:
- Listen to Professor Megan Davis read the Uluru Statement for the first time at the First Nations Constitutional Convention.
- Read ‘Everything you need to know about the Uluru Statement from the Heart’, a book by Professor Megan Davis and George Williams
2. Show your support
You and your colleagues can show your support by accepting the invitation at the official Uluru Dialogue website, where you can sign your support.
3. Share your support
Share your support through your networks, tell people about your support for a Voice to Parliament.
- Share the Statement with your colleagues and run events explaining why it is important and how they can show their support.
- Need help educating your staff on the importance of the Uluru Statement? Reach out to the Uluru Youth Dialogue.
- Add the Uluru Statement logo to your website and email signature with the following text:
(Your organisation) accepts the invitation of the Uluru Statement from the Heart and supports a First Nations Voice to Parliament enshrined in the Australian Constitution. (Insert hyperlink to official Uluru Dialogue website UluruStatement.org)
- On your social media
“I Accept” and “It’s Time” posts (tiles and banners can be found in Appendix A of this Supporter Kit)
Photo credit: The Fred Hollows Foundation
4. Learn about the traditional custodians of your local area
Search your area online and you can find out who the traditional custodians are. This map is a great resource.
First Languages has also provided an interactive map of language groups in Australia.
First Languages has also provided an interactive map of language groups in Australia.
An Acknowledgement of Country is a way of showing awareness of, and respect for the Traditional Custodians of the land in which a meeting or event is taking place.
What does an Acknowledgement of Country look like in the workplace?
What does an Acknowledgement of Country look like in the workplace?
- Do an Acknowledgement of Country before meetings and presentations to show your respect for Traditional Owners. See below for suggested wording.
- Understand the difference between an Acknowledgment of Country and a Welcome to Country.
- Add an Acknowledgement of Country, and the country you are working on, to your website and email signature.
(Your organisation/I/we) acknowledge the traditional owners of the lands on which we meet today. I am/we are on <insert name of country here (e.g., Wurundjeri)> land and, I/we pay my/our respects to their Elders past, present and emerging. I/we celebrate the stories, culture, and traditions of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples of all communities who also work and live on this land.
6. Encourage your workplace to learn about cultural competency and its importance
This will help you and other staff members build an understanding of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander knowledge, history, culture, and values, and allow you to effectively interact with people with cultures different to your own.
- Implement e-Learning modules on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander culture into your business as usual, check out Cross Cultural Consultants to learn more.
Photo credit: Claude Ho
7. Implement workplace activities to encourage learning
To learn more about Australia’s shared history, Indigenous cultures, and the land that you’re on, you and other staff members can implement knowledge-building activities into your workplace.
- Explore resources and stories created by First Nations people. Host a viewing at lunchtime of an Indigenous film or documentary, or share a short video at a staff meeting.
- Learn more about Indigenous perspectives related to your industry. There may be relevant conferences, workshops, webinars, or training sessions that you can attend. Indigenous Allied Health Association, for example, provides workforce support, training, consulting and hosts conferences in the health sector.
- Incorporate discussion or reflections around Indigenous topics or news items into your staff meetings (make sure you include things that are written or produced by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples).
- Host a yarning circle. Yarning circles are a place to talk, share, discuss, educate, have a yarn together, and build respectful relationships. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples have been using yarning circles for thousands of years. The Yarning Workshop, hosted by Evolve Communities, creates a safe space for remote learning, while exploring issues relevant to Reconciliation and the workplace.
To show your continued support, partner with First Nations businesses as contractors, suppliers, and producers.
8. Implement a Reconciliation Action Plan
A Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP) gives your organisation a framework to contribute to the reconciliation movement. RAPs deliver tangible and substantial benefits for First Nations Peoples and increase cultural safety in the workplace. Use this link to get started.
Let your Federal, State, and Local Government representatives know you support a referendum on a constitutionally-enshrined First Nations Voice.
- Reconciliation NSW has provided some letter templates you can use to write to your local member, the Prime Minister or other key elected representatives.
10. Donate
Make a donation directly through the Uluru Statement website, to support investing in a national education strategy on a Voice to Parliament enshrined in the Australian Constitution.
Support The Fred Hollows Foundation and others who are dedicated to amplifying the Uluru Statement because they’ve been working on the front lines to ‘close the gap’ for decades. Read more on our support.
Support The Fred Hollows Foundation and others who are dedicated to amplifying the Uluru Statement because they’ve been working on the front lines to ‘close the gap’ for decades. Read more on our support.
Photo credit: Daniel Jesus Vignolli
COVER PHOTO: Barry Skipsey
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