Statements from the Soul - panel discussion

Statements from the Soul – panel discussion

Statements from the Soul is a new collection of essays by diverse religious leaders and thinkers, making the moral case for the Uluru Statement from the Heart and the upcoming Indigenous Voice referendum.

Join some of the authors to explore their views on why the referendum on Indigenous constitutional recognition through an Indigenous Voice boils down to moral questions, about who we are as a country and whether Indigenous communities deserve to be heard in laws and policies that affect them. 

The discussion will be moderated by prominent journalist Patricia Karvelas, presenter of ABC's RN Breakfast.

There will be an opportunity to ask questions of our panellists during the session.

Panellists

The Most Reverend Peter A. Comensoli is the Catholic Arch­bishop of Melbourne.

Fiona Jose is the chief executive officer of Cape York Partnership. She is also a member of the National Museum of Australia Council and chair of their Indigenous Reference Group.

Bhikkhu Sujato (or Bhante Sujato) is a Theravada Buddhist monk ordained in the Thai Forest Lineage of Ajahn Chah. A lead­ing scholar of early Buddhism, he has translated the entire corpus of early Buddhist discourses from Pali. He leads SuttaCentral, a project facilitating the study of Buddhist texts from comparative and historical perspectives.

Shireen Morris is co-editor of the collection. She is Director of the Radical Centre Reform Lab and a senior lecturer at Macquarie Law School, Macquarie University. Her books include Radical Heart: Three Stories Make Us One, A Rightful Place: A Roadmap to Recognition and The Forgotten People: Liberal and Conservative Approaches to Recog­nising Indigenous Peoples.

Date: Tuesday 21 February 2023

Time: 6.15pm for a 6.30pm start; drinks and canapes to follow. 

Venue: The Craig Auditorium, Gateway Building, Trinity College, 100 Royal Parade, Parkville VIC 3052 | Enter via the Tin Alley entrance

Enquiries: events@trinity.unimelb.edu.au

Tickets are free, but bookings are essential.

Please note, parking is not available on college grounds. 

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About the book

Statements from the Soul: The Moral Case for the Uluru Statement from the Heart is edited by Shireen Morris & Damien Freeman.

In this ground-breaking collection of essays, diverse religious leaders and thinkers come together to advocate for the Uluru Statement from the Heart. Contributors from Buddhist, Christian, Hindu, Jewish, Muslim and Sikh communities powerfully convey why a First Nations voice to parliament is necessary not only legally and politically, but also morally. Drawing on their unique spiritual beliefs, they argue that the Uluru Statement offers a profound opportunity to heal the wrongs of the past and ensure a better future for all Australians. A rallying cry of support across religious and political divisions, Statements from the Soul shows that the Uluru Statement goes to the heart of who we are as a country and is essential to reconciliation.

With a foreword by Noel Pearson and preface by Henry Pinskier. Contributors are Sabah Rind, Wesam Charkawi, Fiona Jose, Sardar Ajmer Singh Gill, Prakruthi Mysore Gururaj, Bhikkhu Sujato, Stan Grant, Antonios Kaldas, Ralph Genende, Russell Broadbent, Karina Okotel, Kanishka Raffel, Peter Comensoli, Anthony Ekpo, David Saperstein and Rowan Williams.

Purchase a copy of the book.