First Nations
Uluru Statement from the Heart
26 May 2017
First Nations delegates sign the Uluru Statement from the Heart calling for ‘Voice, Treaty and Truth.’
In May 2017, over 250 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander delegates gathered in Mutitjulu at Uluru for the National First Nations Constitutional Convention after a series of regional dialogues held across the country. They wrote and endorsed the Uluru Statement from the Heart. The Statement calls for:
- acknowledgement and action to fix structural issues impacting First Nations people
- the establishment of a First Nations Voice in the Australian Constitution
- a Makarrata Commission – a group to oversee the process of treaty-making and truth-telling between governments and First Nations people
- support from the people of Australia to empower First Nations communities to shape their own future.
In 2023, after Prime Minister Anthony Albanese endorsed the Uluru Statement, the Australian Parliament voted to hold a referendum on the Voice. The Australian people were asked whether they supported a change to the Constitution to recognise the First Peoples of Australia by establishing an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice. The referendum did not pass. Many First Nations leaders and other Australians remain committed to the principles of the Uluru Statement from the Heart.