Yindyamarra

ACC&C and Indigenous Recognition and Reconciliation 

From its foundation the Australian Centre for Christianity and Culture has long had a commitment to indigenous reconciliation, inclusion and social justice. The Centre aspires to fulfil its Trinitarian vision through an ecumenical invitation, an indigenous heart and an interfaith outreach. The Centre has an inclusive national character, expressing and reflecting Christian spirituality and culture, and is committed to atonement and reconciliation with the indigenous people of Australia.

In 2022, prior to the federal election, Professor Anthony Maher invited all political parties to work alongside ACC&C, and people of faith more generally, to enthusiastically promote the collective wisdom for the common good that is inherent in the New Testament. Drawing on the wisdom of the beatitudes, Prof Maher asked political parties eight questions for Australia today. One of those questions revolved around indigenous recognition and reconciliation:

Indigenous Recognition and Reconciliation: it is time, in fact long past time, for the voices of indigenous peoples to be heard and to be included in decision-making processes, particularly political decision-making. How would your government ensure that the rights and dignity of Australia’s first peoples will be respected into the future?

Yindyamarra Nguluway

See the Yindyamarra Nguluway website

Yindyamarra Winanghana: “To live with respect in a world worth living in.”

The Australian Centre for Christianity and Culture is proud to take partner with Yindyamarra Nguluway, as we seek to have conversations and discuss the building  of a more just and inclusive society.

Yindyamarra is the Wiradjuri word for respect. Nguluway, the Wiradjuri word for meeting.

Yindyamarra Nguluway is a place where peoples meet: a non-partisan space where discussion is encouraged and civil disagreement is welcomed.

Yindyamarra is a Wiradjuri word, preserved and handed down to us by Uncle Stan Grant Senior.

Yindyamarra. A way of being. To live with respect. To walk softly. To sit in the silence. To seek to understand, not to be understood.

“Our mission is to bring Yindyamarra – a gift from the Wiradjuri people – to bear on the challenges facing nation-building and democracy in Australia and around the world. We cannot live forever on the fumes of the 20^th Century. Through research, events, podcasts, and wider contributions to public discourse we will explore new ways of reforming democracy, achieving justice for First Nations peoples, reforming democracy, and speaking back to the deeper moral and spiritual crises of our times.” -- Professor Stan Grant Jr, Vice-Chancellor's Chair of Australian-Indigenous Belonging, and Founding Director of Yindyamarra Nguluway at Charles Sturt University.

Voice – Treaty – Truth 

The Uluru Statement from the Heart called for Voice, Treaty and Truth. Later this year, there will be a refendendum to decide on whether indigenous Australians have a Voice to Parliament. Yet even if this referendum is carried, this is only the beginning. Treaty and Truth is also needed before true reconciliation and justice occurs.