Press release circulated on 22 Sep 2023. The full statement is at the bottom of this page, and can be downloaded from here.

The Executive Committee of the Anabaptist Association of Australia and New Zealand (AAANZ) calls on the Australian church to support the aspirations of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. In a detailed position statement from an Anabaptist point of view, they give clear reasons for Christians to support the requests in The Uluru Statement from the Heart, which include “a First Nations Voice enshrined in the Constitution”.

The AAANZ emphasises that Jesus is the centre of our faith, community is the centre of our life, and reconciliation is the centre of our work. Each of those themes inspire followers of Jesus to seek shalom: that is, a state of true peace, justice, wholeness, and rightness. In the current Australian context, this longing for shalom leads to five calls to action:

• We commit to bearing witness, by the actions within our own communities, to a society in which First Nations peoples are fully included and honoured. We call on the churches of Australia and the broader Australian community to do likewise.
• We commit to listening to First Nations leaders, expecting to find wisdom there that helps us to reconnect to each other, to God, and to this land. We call on the churches of Australia and the broader Australian community to do likewise.
• We commit to speaking boldly for justice in relation to First Nations peoples. We call on the churches of Australia and the broader Australian community to do likewise.
• The majority of AAANZ supporters commit to supporting the Referendum and to doing what we can to make the Constitutional change succeed. We call on the churches of Australia and the broader Australian community to do likewise.
• We commit to continued solidarity after the Referendum with First Nations peoples in general and personal protection and care for those First Nations people we know. We call on the churches of Australia and the broader Australian community to do likewise.

The AAANZ President, Matthew Clarke, noted that this is a significant step for the Association given that Anabaptists often stand back from direct political engagement. “We believe this statement adds theological insights to the current conversation and will help Christians understand the importance of demonstrating their faith in the way they relate to their indigenous neighbours.”