• Salvos unite in one Voice
The Salvation Army joined leaders of major faith-based charitable organisations in Australia at Parliament House in Canberra today (Thursday 23 March) to urge all parliamentarians to support the Indigenous Voice to Parliament.
Secretary for Mission Captain Stuart Glover represented The Salvation Army alongside heads of Anglicare Australia, Baptist Care Australia, Catholic Social Services Australia, the St Vincent de Paul Society National Council of Australia and UnitingCare Australia.
The group issued a joint open letter to all Federal MPs and senators, urging them to back the Voice to Parliament and meet with politicians from all sides.
The letter states:
As the leaders of Australia’s major faith-based charitable service networks, we call on all members of the 47th Federal Parliament to support the Voice.
Driven by our values, we are deeply committed to a civil society and a world of justice, hope and fairness.
We join with the leaders of Australia’s major religious, ethno-religious and community organisations to urge all Parliamentarians to support the Voice, called for by First Nations leaders through the Uluru Statement from the Heart.
We believe that the Uluru Statement offers a historic opportunity to create a fuller expression of Australia’s nationhood. And we have an historic opportunity to support justice for First Peoples.
Each of our organisations has pledged its support to the three key elements outlined in the Uluru Statement from the Heart: Truth, Treaty and Voice.
As part of that pledge, our organisations support the call for the establishment of a First Nations Voice enshrined in the Constitution to empower First Nations peoples.
We call on all Members and Senators of this Parliament to act with an open heart and listen deeply to the many voices of our First Nations Australians throughout this significant national conversation.
From our heart to yours, we urge you to act justly.
Yours faithfully,
Captain Stuart (Glover Secretary for Mission - The Salvation Army), Kasy Chambers (Executive Director - Anglicare Australia), Nicole Hornsby (Executive Director - Baptist Care Australia), Monique Earsman (Executive Director - Catholic Social Services Australia), Mark Gaetani (National President - St Vincent de Paul Society, National Council of Australia Inc), Claerwen Little (National Director - UnitingCare Australia).
Information courtesy of National Indigenous Times
