The Uluru Statement and why you need to read it now

What do you know about the Uluru Statement From the Heart?

The Uluru Statement is one from the heart

What do you know about the Uluru Statement From the Heart? For many Australians the answer will perhaps be: “Only that I didn’t read it” or else: “I didn’t really get it.” That is regrettable because it contains compelling ideas and beautiful writing.

The statement notes that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander tribes “were the first sovereign nations of the Australian continent”. This sovereignty, being a spiritual notion, has never, and arguably can never be extinguished. It coexists to this day with the sovereignty of the crown.

“How could it be otherwise?” the statement says. Yes, Europeans arrived and changed Australia forever, but the ancestral tie between original habitants and the land still binds. Yet many Aboriginal people, far from being prosperous and free, “are the most incarcerated people on the planet”.

It makes no sense to them. “We are not an innately criminal people,” the statement says. “Our children are alienated from their families at unprecedented rates. This cannot be because we have no love for them. Our youth languish in detention in obscene numbers. They should be our hope for the future.”

You can perhaps now see why it was described as a “statement from the heart”. It is heartbreaking.

The statement was designed to help Australians understand the case for structural reform, including constitutional change. And why would they not want that? The legal document that frames the nation does not as it stands recognise the clear and incontrovertible fact there were already people here when Europeans arrived. We have to fix this. If we don’t, it will fall to our children. The problem isn’t going away. It is our bleeding sore.

There was hope in the air when the Uluru statement was made in May 2017 but the then- prime minister, Malcolm Turnbull, immediately expressed disquiet, and the movement for change has been stuck in political mud ever since.

Now comes a book in which two distinguished authors quietly make the case for action.

Megan Davis is a Cobble Cobble woman from southwest Queensland who is the Balnaves chair in constitutional law, director of the Indigenous Law Centre at the University of NSW faculty of law and pro vice-chancellor at the university. George Williams is the Anthony Mason professor and a Scientia professor, as well as a deputy vice-chancellor, at UNSW whose books include The Oxford Companion to the High Court of Australia.

Their book is simply called Everything You Need to Know About the Uluru Statement From the Heart.

“Rather than being treated as equal citizens (Indigenous Australians) in 1901 were cast as a ‘dying race’ not expected to survive British settlement,” the book says. “They were immediately denied the vote in federal elections. Today, the document reflects Australia’s history of British settlement … It is as if (Indigenous) history does not matter and is not part of the nation’s story.”

The authors believe the right change to the Constitution could “unite Australians around a sense of their shared history”. But it’s hard going. Davis tells The Weekend Australian: “A proper chance at constitutional recognition was put on the table by the Australian government in 2010. Eleven years later we have run six commonwealth processes that have produced nine reports on options for recognition.”

If this fails, future generations will have to start again.

If we as a nation could agree that a new introduction to the Constitution is necessary, what might it look like? We don’t yet know, but the book offers an example based on the hard work done in South Africa.

“We, the people of Australia:

“Recognising that the continent and its islands now known as Australia were first occupied by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples;

“Acknowledging the continuing relationship of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples with their traditional lands and waters;

“Respecting the continuing cultures, languages and heritage of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples;

“Acknowledging our collective history and shared future;

“Honouring those who have fought for justice and freedom;

“Respecting those who have worked to build, develop and protect our country;

“Commit ourselves to this Constitution.”

It’s important to note that many in the Indigenous community are wary of constitutional change on its own. They don’t want to do a bit of tinkering — a new introduction, for example — without Australia also doing some of the harder work (the so-called treaty and truth-telling about Australian history). The Australian people more broadly don’t come at change easily; indeed, they are extremely conservative when it comes to even mild constitutional amendments, making this seem to some a lost cause but remember: Australians did vote for meaningful changes in 1967. The Uluru statement acknowledges this, saying: “In 1967 we were counted, in 2017 we seek to be heard.” If you’re still up for listening, this book may well be a good place to start.

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What’s with all the Bob Dylan in the papers this week? Well, it is the troubadour’s birthday on May 24. He is turning 80. Yes, 80. It’s a grand old age, and we should celebrate.

There are four new Dylan books out this month. Highlights include Sean Latham’s The World of Bob Dylan (Cambridge University Press), which includes 18 professors among 24 contributors; and the hefty A Restless Hungry Feeling: The Double Life of Bob Dylan by Clinton Heylin.

Laura Tenschert has written a review of the latter book for these pages. I’m so pleased to introduce her written work to you: Tenschert is a board member at the Institute of Bob Dylan Studies, University of Tulsa; she is the host of the Definitely Dylan podcast and London radio show; she is the purveyor of bold “This is what a Bob Dylan fan looks like” T-shirts; and she is the conveyor of fresh, modern, feminist perspectives on Dylan’s work.

It is a joy to listen to her talk about Dylan, and I did a little cartwheel when she agreed to put her thoughts about the Heylin book on paper for us. Enjoy. Then go listen.