ULURU STATEMENT FROM THE HEART We, gathered at the National Constitutional Convention, coming from all points of the southern sky, make this statement from the heart: Our Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander tribes were the first sovereign Nations of the Australian continent and its adjacent islands, and possessed it under our own laws and customs. This our ancestors did, according to the reckoning of our culture, from the Creation, according to the common law from ‘time immemorial’, and according to science more than 60,000 years ago. This sovereignty is a spiritual notion: the ancestral tie between the land, or ‘mother nature’, and the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples who were born therefrom, remain attached thereto, and must one day return thither to be united with our ancestors. This link is the basis of the ownership of the soil, or better, of sovereignty. It has never been ceded or extinguished, and co-exists with the sovereignty of the Crown.
And our youth languish in detention in obscene numbers. They should be our hope for the future. These dimensions of our crisis tell plainly the structural nature of our problem. This is the torment of our powerlessness. We seek constitutional reforms to empower our people and take a rightful place in our own country. When we have power over our destiny our children will flourish. They will walk in two worlds and their culture will be a gift to their country. We call for the establishment of a First Nations Voice enshrined in the Constitution.
How could it be otherwise? That peoples possessed a land for sixty millennia and this sacred link disappears from world history in merely the last two hundred years?
Makarrata is the culmination of our agenda: the coming together after a struggle. It captures our aspirations for a fair and truthful relationship with the people of Australia and a better future for our children based on justice and self-determination.
With substantive constitutional change and structural reform, we believe this ancient sovereignty can shine through as a fuller expression of Australia’s nationhood.
We seek a Makarrata Commission to supervise a process of agreement-making between governments and First Nations and truth-telling about our history.
Proportionally, we are the most incarcerated people on the planet. We are not an innately criminal people. Our children are aliened from their families at unprecedented rates. This cannot be because we have no love for them.
In 1967 we were counted, in 2017 we seek to be heard. We leave base camp and start our trek across this vast country. We invite you to walk with us in a movement of the Australian people for a better future.
The Byron Shire Echo • Volume 38 #13 • September 6, 2023 • www.echo.net.au Uluru Statement From The Heart image and text sourced from www.ulurustatement.org.
In this Land trust lodges week’s its first affordable edition: housing DA ▶ p4
The answer is ‘Yes’ ▶ p8
Medicali$ation of a nation ▶ p8
The arts in focus ▶ p18
Magical Murwillumbah ▶ p24
Plus: Echo Property Magazine issue #2
^ƉƌŝŶŐƚŝŵĞ ^ŽůĂƌ ĐƚŝǀŝƚŝĞƐ ǁŚŝůĞ ƚŚĞ ^ƵŶ ŝƐ ŝŶ sŝƌŐŽ >Ğƚ͛Ɛ ŐĞƚ LJŽƵƌ ƐŽůĂƌ ƐLJƐƚĞŵ ƌĞĂĚLJ ĨŽƌ ƐƵŵŵĞƌ ǁŝƚŚ Ă ƐLJƐƚĞŵĂƚŝĐ ƉĞƌĨŽƌŵĂŶĐĞ ĂŶĚ ŵĂŝŶƚĞŶĂŶĐĞ ĐŚĞĐŬ͘
ĨĨŽƌĚĂďůĞ ^ŽůĂƌ ĂŶĚ ĂƚƚĞƌLJ ^LJƐƚĞŵƐ ĨŽƌ ,LJďƌŝĚ ĂŶĚ KĨĨ 'ƌŝĚ
tĞ ĂƌĞ ŽĨĨĞƌŝŶŐ Ă ƐƉĞĐŝĂů &Z ŽŶ ƐŝƚĞ ĐŽŶƐƵůƚĂƚŝŽŶ ŝĨ LJŽƵ ĐĂůů ƵƐ ǁŚŝůĞ ƚŚĞ ^ƵŶ ŝƐ ŝŶ sŝƌŐŽ ďĞĨŽƌĞ ƚŚĞ ϮϰƚŚ ^ĞƉƚĞŵďĞƌ͘ tĞ ĐĂŶ ŚĞůƉ LJŽƵ ƵŶĚĞƌƐƚĂŶĚ ŚŽǁ ƚŽ ĐŚĞĐŬ ĂŶĚ ŵĂŝŶƚĂŝŶ LJŽƵƌ ƐŽůĂƌ ƐLJƐƚĞŵ ĂŶĚ ŚŽǁ LJŽƵ ĐĂŶ ƚĂŬĞ ĐŽŶƚƌŽů ŽĨ LJŽƵƌ ƉŽǁĞƌ ƉůĂŶƚ͘
ŚĞĐŬůŝƐƚ ƚŽ DĂdžŝŵŝnjĞ ^ŽůĂƌ ĨĨŝĐŝĞŶĐLJ͗
ϴϴϴ
хх /ŶƐƉĞĐƚ ǁŝƌŝŶŐ͕ ƉĂŶĞůƐ ĂŶĚ ŝŶǀĞƌƚĞƌ ĨŽƌ ǁĞĂƌ ĂŶĚ ĚĂŵĂŐĞ͘ хх ŚĞĐŬ ŵŽŶŝƚŽƌŝŶŐ ƚŽ ĞŶƐƵƌĞ ĐŽŶƐŝƐƚĞŶƚ ƉĞƌĨŽƌŵĂŶĐĞ͘ хх ůĞĂŶ ƉĂŶĞůƐ ŵĞƚŝĐƵůŽƵƐůLJ͘ хх dƌŝŵ ƚƌĞĞƐ ĂŶĚ ǀĞŐĞƚĂƚŝŽŶ ƚŚĂƚ ŵĂLJ ďĞ ƐŚĂĚŝŶŐ ƉĂŶĞůƐ͘ хх ^ĞĂƌĐŚ ĨŽƌ ƚŚĞ ĞƐƚ ůĞĐƚƌŝĐŝƚLJ WůĂŶ͗ 'Ž ƚŽ ŚƚƚƉƐ͗ͬͬǁǁǁ͘ĞŶĞƌŐLJŵĂĚĞĞĂƐLJ͘ŐŽǀ͘ĂƵͬ ƚŽ ĨŝŶĚ ƚŚĞ ďĞƐƚ ƉůĂŶ ĨŽƌ LJŽƵ͘ хх ŽŶƐŝĚĞƌ /LF 1R & hƉŐƌĂĚŝŶŐ LJŽƵƌ ^LJƐƚĞŵ͗ tŝƚŚ ƉŽǁĞƌ ƉƌŝĐĞƐ ŶŽǁ ĨĂǀŽƵƌŝŶŐ ďĂƚƚĞƌLJ ƐƚŽƌĂŐĞ ŽǀĞƌ ĞdžƉŽƌƚ ƚŽ ƚŚĞ ŐƌŝĚ͕ LJŽƵ ŵĂLJ ĨŝŶĚ ƚŚĂƚ ƚŚĞ ůŽǁĞƌ ĐŽƐƚ ŽĨ ďĂƚƚĞƌŝĞƐ ŶŽǁ ƉƌŽǀŝĚĞƐ ĂŶ ĞdžĐĞůůĞŶƚ ƌĞƚƵƌŶ ŽŶ ŝŶǀĞƐƚŵĞŶƚ ĂŶĚ ŵŽƌĞ ĞŶĞƌŐLJ ŝŶĚĞƉĞŶĚĞŶĐĞ ĚƵƌŝŶŐ ďůĂĐŬŽƵƚƐ͘ ǁǁǁ͘ϴϴϴƐŽůĂƌƚĞŬ͘ĐŽŵ͘ĂƵ
WŚ ϬϮ ϲϲϴϴ ϰϰϴϬ Ăůů sŝŶĐĞŶƚ ^ĞůůĞĐŬ ĨŽƌ Ă &ƌĞĞ ŽŶƐƵůƚĂƚŝŽŶ