Social Justice Statement 2024
Listen, Learn Love:
A New Engagement with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples
In 1967, Australians gave overwhelming support to a referendum that recognised Australia’s First
Peoples as ciƟzens. In 2023, we will be given a chance to vote in another referendum to
consƟtuƟonally recognise Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples through a Voice to
Parliament. Australia’s Bishops see it as an opportunity for all Australians to renew our engagement
with the First Peoples of Australia. They have come to this view through much listening to the First
Peoples and they encourage us all to listen to them in a spirit of love and humility.
The Bishops invite the NaƟonal Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Catholic Council (NATSICC) to
speak directly about their experiences of injusƟce and about their hopes for the future. NATSICC
addresses the many injusƟces their people have faced since colonisaƟon unƟl now. They speak of
many concerns including high suicide rates and incarceraƟon, shorter life expectancy and poorer
outcomes in employment, educaƟon and housing. They also idenƟfy racism as an on-going
challenge. The informaƟon they use includes the Closing the Gap Report and the witness of
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples who spoke about their concerns during visits to many
communiƟes during the preparaƟon of this statement.
NATSICC also acknowledges the achievements of many of their people despite these challenges and
notes the many efforts by First NaƟons communiƟes to address these problems. They note with
approval the efforts made within the Church to support their communiƟes. They conclude by giving
their support to the referendum on the Voice. They see it as a posiƟve step in efforts to improve the
lives of First NaƟons people.
The Bishops acknowledge the pain and hardship experienced by First NaƟons Peoples. They point to
the Church’s efforts to stand in solidarity with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples since the
early days of colonisaƟon. Nevertheless, they acknowledge that the Church played a part in the
injusƟces First NaƟons People have experienced.
The Bishops invite us, as Catholics, to begin a new engagement with the First Peoples to overcome
injusƟce, an engagement grounded in love. This love is at the heart of Jesus’ message. This love is
characterised by a commitment to encounter and dialogue, reciprocity, mutual accompaniment and
a desire to put the other at the centre of our aƩenƟon. The Bishops offer us some simple acƟons
which could help us to begin this new engagement. The Bishops do not tell us how to vote in the
referendum, but they encourage us to inform ourselves about the issues through respecƞul dialogue,
especially with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples.
The Bishops and NATSICC join together at the conclusion of the statement to call for us all to walk
together in love on a journey of healing, whatever the outcome of the Voice referendum.