ON the agenda for tomorrow’s Ordinary Meeting of the Douglas Shire Council, there is a resolution that Council affirms and endorses the Uluru Statement from the Heart as part of their ongoing commitment to reconciliation.
The Uluru Statement from the Heart was issued in May 2017, by delegates to the First Nations National Constitutional Convention, at Uluru on the lands of the Anangu people. The statement was signed by over 250 delegates from across Australia.
The Statement seeks constitutional change and calls for a Voice to Parliament to be enshrined in the Constitution of Australia. A Voice would be a body to advise on law and policy to the Parliament and the Government of the Day.
The Statement also calls for a Makarrata Commission to oversee a process of truth-telling about our history and to facilitate a process of agreement-making. Makarrata is a Yolngu word meaning the coming together after a struggle, a treaty.
Many local governments across Australia and Queensland have begun endorsing and adopting the principles of the Statement.
The Statement is regarded as a significant moment in the ongoing campaign for recognition and reconciliation between Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and non-Indigenous Australians with many local governments across Australia and Queensland have begun endorsing and adopting the principles of the Statement.
The authors of the Uluru Statement from the Heart call it ‘an invitation to the Australian people’ and ask all ‘Australians to accept our invitation to walk with us in a movement of the Australian people for a better future.’
Douglas Shire Council states that it supports Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples having meaningful input into decisions that affect their lives and their futures. Council has therefore resolved through Corporate and Operational Plans to develop and implement a Reconciliation Action Plan among other actions to recognise the wrongs done to our Indigenous community and to reconcile, so that we may all benefit from and enjoy our Shire.
Douglas Shire Council will join other local governments across Australia in endorsing the Uluru Statement from the Heart as part of a commitment to reconciliation between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians.
The proposal has been discussed with Councillors at a workshop on 21 March 2023, and externally with the FNQROC Mayors at a meeting on 2 February 2023.
The formal proposal at tomorrow’s meeting is that Council:
- Affirms and endorses the Uluru Statement from the Heart as part of Council’s ongoing commitment to Reconciliation,
- Acknowledges that the Statement calls for:
a. Recognition that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples were the first sovereign nations of the Australian continent and its adjacent islands; sovereignty that was never ceded and co-exists with the sovereignty of the Crown,
b. The establishment of a First Nations Voice to Parliament enshrined in the constitution, and
c. A Makarrata Commission to supervise a process of agreement-making and truth-telling about our shared history, between governments and First Nations peoples, and - Makes this endorsement public through publication on Council’s website and in writing to the Commonwealth Government.
Douglas Shire Council Meetings are now open to the public. There will be a maximum of 10 people allowed who do not need to pre-register.
In line with government regulations, Council requires that all guests register (to assist with contract tracing) their details prior to entering the Meeting Room.
Council staff will rotate in and out of the room to ensure the COVID safe capacity is adhered to.
Tomorrow’s meeting at 10am at the Douglas Shire Council Chambers will be live-streamed online and can be access by clicking here.
