Religious heads voice concerns for the future

A powerful coalition of religious organisations has sent a joint letter to MPs warning that future generations ‘will not forgive us’ if the Indigenous voice to parliament fails at the referendum.

Filmmaker Rachel Perkins joins religious leaders calling on politicians to take action on a First Nations voice referendum in May 2022. Picture: Jeremy Piper

A powerful coalition of religious organisations has sent a joint letter to MPs warning that future generations of Australians “will not forgive us” if the Indigenous voice to parliament fails at the referendum, urging for the Liberal Party to pledge its support.

The open letter, penned by organisations including the Catholic, Uniting and Anglican churches, the Australian National Council of Imams and Executive Council of Australian Jewry, used the week of action for the voice to call on parliamentarians “to find ways to collaborate constructively across political divides”.

“As leaders of Australia’s major religious and ethno-religious organisations, we call on Australia’s political leaders and all federal parliamentarians to support the voice, called for by First Nations Australians through the Uluru Statement from the Heart,” the letter says.

“Future generations of Australians will not forgive us if we fail to grasp the historical moment, and ‘advance Australia’ further along the path of justice.”

It follows Opposition Leader Peter Dutton and legal affairs spokesman Julian Leeser signalling they expected the voice to fail.

“At this point in time, we don’t think that the referendum is on track for success,” Mr Leeser said, pointing to concerns over the wording of the constitutional amendment and the lack of detail on how the body would function.

The letter, also signed by Sikh, Hindu and Buddhist leaders, said that if their coalition could overcome differences in religion and tradition, political parties should also be able to come together to support the voice.

“We draw upon our diverse traditions, beliefs and cultures to unite in support of this just cause. We respectfully ask our political representatives to do the same,” it says.

“Whatever our disagreements, let us work together to resolve them. The voice referendum deserves cross-party co-operation. If we work together across political divides, the referendum will succeed, and we will have put Australia on both a moral and practical path to reconciliation.”

However, the letter also urges the government to release any additional information that it could to win over the support of the Liberals and undecided Australians.

It follows other religious leaders speaking out in support of the body, including Father Frank Brennan who this month released his book, An Indigenous Voice to Parliament, which supports an enshrined voice but with changes to the wording of the constitutional amendment.

The peak religious groups first joined together to announce their support for the voice to parliament last year, signing a joint resolution launched by Indigenous filmmaker Rachel Perkins.

“This (letter) is an alliance of great spiritual power, speaking persuasively to political power and asking politicians to co-operate across political divides to achieve Indigenous recognition for the good of my people and the country as a whole,” she said.

Several Liberal MPs expect the party to finalise its position when the government’s proposed constitutional amendment is introduced to parliament next month.

Indigenous Minister Linda Burney met with former Nationals MP Andrew Gee on Monday and is set to campaign with Liberal MP Bridget Archer in Tasmania this week. Ms Archer said the minister’s visit as part of the week of action was “a terrific opportunity for the community to connect with Minister Burney on the issues that matter to them”.