The Uluru Statement from the Heart has been mentioned many times in recent days as our nation prepares to vote in ‘The Voice’ national referendum in less than three months’ time. In fact, our Prime Minister, Anthony Albanese has mentioned it often and has also gone on public record a number of times saying that his government is fully committed to “implementing all the elements of the Uluru Statement.”

I wonder however, how many Australians even know what this statement says. The version being shown in the media and referred to by the Prime Minister is only an excerpt from the full statement. The Prime Minister was correct when he said recently that the Uluru Statement of the Heart was “no more than a two-minute read.”  That one-page poster/document is all that is being published and promoted. However that is only a summary of some key points from the full statement.

The full Uluru Statement is actually 26 pages long and every Australian should read it all and understand exactly what our government is “committed to implementing.”

I can assure you it is far more than the one page summary we have been given. I have provided a link at the end of this Blog post for you when you have some time and good cup of coffee!

This statement calls for “Voice, Treaty, Truth” and our Prime Minister was seen at a Midnight Oil concert earlier this year wearing a T-Shirt with that slogan on it. In spite of this very public display of support, the Prime Minister has insisted that ‘The Voice’ has nothing to do with treaty and that the government has no agenda in that regard. He had a very heated exchange very recently on radio with Ben Fordham at 2GB in Sydney who reminded the PM that the full Uluru Statement is ALL about treaty and that he cannot say he will fully implement everything in that statement and then say that the treaty issue is off the table!

When you read the full Uluru Statement you will encounter a document which, in my humble opinion having now read it all, is exactly what Peta Credlin from Sky News said this week: “It is full of anger, grievance, separatism and the need to undo wherever possible the last 240 years of Australian History.”

At one point I had to read a sentence three times in this Statement to make sure it said what it did:  “By making agreements at the highest level, the negotiation process with the Australian government allows First Nations to express our sovereignty.”  The Prime Minister insists that ‘The Voice’ will be an advisory body only and will have no authority and yet he is committed to implementing a statement which will give aboriginal people sovereignty over all other Australians. The word ‘sovereign’ is a very, very strong word and I can assure you it does not refer to someone who ‘offers advice’ and has ‘no authority.’

Contrary to the Prime Minister’s recent claims that ‘The Voice’ is not about treaties, the clear facts say something else entirely. The truth is, treaties lie at the very core of the full Uluru Statement and all the supporting documents.

The full Uluru Statement, which has remained hidden from voters (until now), says in black and white that ‘Makarrata’ is another word for Treaty or agreement making and that it is the “culmination of our agenda.”

The most concerning part of this document points to the reparations which will be owed to First Nations people. They include a percentage of our nation’s GDP – the resolution of land, water and resources issues. The reparations will be an enormous financial compensation paid by Australian taxpayers.

For example, Australia’s projected GDP for 2024 will be approximately 2,500 billion dollars. Even if the advocates for reparation secure just 1% of our GDP, that will equate to 2.5 billion dollars a year to be paid to whom … or to what agency … and for what purpose?

There are in fact another 86 pages of lead-up deliberations preceding the full 26 pages of the Uluru Statement and upon reading them all, one is left with no doubt whatsoever that the ‘The Voice’ referendum is on the thin edge of a gigantic wedge which will follow if this referendum succeeds.

I accept that ‘The Voice’ will not be a treaty and nor will it trigger any reparation in and of itself. However, what we all need to realise is that the legal implications of these proposed changes to our nation’s constitution have never been tested in a court of law and not even the brightest lawyers in our land can predict how quickly we may see demands for a treaty and all that comes with it, follow a change to our Constitution of this nature.

The advocates of the voice and our current federal government do not want you to read this blog and they certainly don’t want you to read the full 26-page Uluru Statement they are committed to implementing. They are hoping that most Australians will enter a polling booth in October, blissfully ignorant of what they are about the vote on and how it may change our nation forever.

As a Christian, I am absolutely committed to constitutional recognition of First Peoples and even more committed to government policies which treat ALL Australians equally and support the needs of any disadvantaged people group, including our aboriginal brothers and sisters. However, what we are being asked to vote on in October has nothing to do with any of the above!  It is all about politics, power and control and we need to make sure we are FULLY INFORMED.

If you read the full Uluru Statement of the Heart and genuinely believe everything in there is good and appropriate and necessary for our nation, then I respect that and support your right to vote accordingly.  All I ask is that you don’t make a decision based on the tiny amount of information we are being given by those pushing for this monumental change to our nation’s governance.

Download the full Uluru Statement of the Heart HERE.