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The Why of The Voice

Lynne Reeder • Apr 03, 2023

Compelling Statements Inspired by Indigenous Mindsets.

The Voice to parliament was a key recommendation of the Uluru Statement from the Heart, a document written and endorsed by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander leaders in 2017 to change the Constitution and improve representation of Indigenous Australians.

 

The Australian Compassion Council brings the work of the global Charter for Compassion to Australia, with its overall vision of Deep Dreaming Australia: A Continent for Compassion and a continent for compassion couldn’t be dreamed into being without the essential inclusion of Indigenous Australians.

 

We know that unless all Australians are supportive of the national referendum it will not succeed, and to make our contribution - the Charter for Compassion, Australia invited those in its networks to develop compelling statements on the ‘Why of the Voice’.

 

Using the five mindsets as articulated by Dr Tyson Yunkaporta in his book Sand Talk provided a respectful starting point for this project to engage with the Voice by honouring and valuing Indigenous forms of knowing.

 

The Charter for Compassion, Australia considers that the upcoming referendum may well provide a turning point for Australia as we reach across our common humanity to discover a history that provides us all with a deeper sense of wonder of that story.

 

In all, 24 statements have been captured in this book, including from: Prof Peter Yu, DVC First Nations, ANU; Prof Andrew Gunstone, DVC Reconciliation, Federation University Australia; Dr Ursula Stephens, CEO Catholic Services Australia; Shane Howard, AM – singer, songwriter; Margaret Hepworth - Director, Initiatives of Change; Hugh Mackay, AO - Author and social scientist; Petrina Barson, GP and Director, Centre for a Compassionate Society; among others

 

Members of the Australian Compassion Council respectfully acknowledge that there are some Aboriginal Australians who, for a range of reasons disagree with the Voice to Parliament.

 

The reason we support an Indigenous Voice is that we feel everyone has a right to be heard particularly when it comes to government policies that affect their quality of life.

 

Dr Andrew Gunstone, Director of the newly established Centre for Reconciliation, Truth, and Justice at Federation University Australia, states that decades of national and international evidence clearly demonstrate that Indigenous policies have a significantly higher chance of success when Indigenous peoples are genuinely engaged in the design and implementation of these policies.

 

The ACC supports a wider Australian discussion on this public policy issue because, if it’s done well, then the Voice will not only give Aboriginal Australians the opportunity to be heard - it will provide all Australians new opportunities to listen to the wisdom inherent in Indigenous knowledge.

 

It is hoped that the heartfelt statements in this book will support voters in coming to the Voice from their calm and creative selves – where they can see the possibilities of engaging with an Australian history that is 60,000 years old.

 

To give one example of these statements - Hugh Mackay, AO - Psychologist, Author and National Ambassador of the Australian Compassion Council in his contribution wrote:


We humans – all of us – exist in a shimmering, vibrating web of interconnectedness and interdependence.  To deny that is to deny the deepest truth about our humanity.  The proposed Indigenous Voice to the Australian parliament is an opportunity for this nation to acknowledge that, from the time of European settlement, we failed to acknowledge our kinship with First Nations people.  The Voice will right that wrong by declaring, at last: ‘We are listening.  We hear you. Only you can tell us how, together, we can address the problems created by the collision of our cultures. We are one with you.’   


The full publication is available at- https://www.charterforcompassion.com.au/why-of-the-voice/

A New Report on the Science of Compassion

By Lynne Reeder • 18 Apr, 2024
A new report on the science of compassion by Dr Lynne Reeder and her international research colleague Dr Marcela Matos on the Future Directions in Compassion Science has just been released: Some of the key points from this report include: Research in compassion science is consistently finding that the motivation of compassion fosters improved mental and physical health, and has profound effects on social relationships in families, groups, communities and between communities. Many scientific studies show that different motives organise our minds and bodies quite differently. For example, the way our attention is directed, our thoughts are focused, and our intended behaviours are enacted, differ significantly as to whether our motives are - competitive self-focused, anger or fear based - or cooperative and compassion based. There are many practical applications of compassion, including for business and commerce – e.g. studies conducted by Assoc Prof Daniel Martin have found that compassion training can improve the psychological safety and well-being of employees and therefore mitigate the negative behaviours within businesses that can disrupt valuable innovations. Prof Tania Singer, Director of the Social Neuroscience Lab, Max Planck Society, Germany highlights how compassion training works. Her world leading studies which include the use of fMRI’s in assessing differences before and after compassion training - show that it works by supporting the upregulation of our systems of care and affiliation…in compassion you accept the reality that is out there, but you activate the system which will allow you to be resilient against the potential negative effect of overwhelm and empathic distress. Read the full report here Read a 2 page summary of the report here

Target 1.5 degrees: What are the barriers?

By Compassion Ballarat • 18 Mar, 2024
with Ciara Bryne, Dr. Janet Salisbury and Dr. Lynne Reeder In early February, researchers from the European Union's Copernicus Climate Change Service presented data indicating that throughout 2023, temperatures surpassed the critical threshold of a 1.5-degree increase above pre-industrial levels. This threshold is significant as it is the limit global leaders committed to not exceed in order to prevent the most severe impacts of climate change. With this new evidence highlighting the failure to make sufficient progress in combating climate change, it becomes imperative to explore the obstacles hindering our advancement. We must delve into the psychological, logistical, financial, economic, and political challenges that are impeding our ability to take significant strides toward safeguarding our future and the planet from the escalating climate crisis. https://www.globalcompassioncoalition.org/events/target-1-5-degrees-what-are-the-barriers/

MLK Peace Event

By Compassion Ballarat • 06 Feb, 2024
21 January 2024 - Compassionate Ballarat partnered with Let’s Talk Peace Ballarat to contribute a webinar discussion as part of the Martin Luther King David 40 Days of Peace program which is an annual event organised by the global Charter for Compassion. This event was entitled Turning ‘the dream' of Peace into Action, One Compassionate Step at a Time and featured speakers David Hartsough, Founder of World Beyond War; Tim Hollo, Executive Director of the Green Institute; and Gem Romuld, National Director, ICAN. David Hartsough has been working actively across the globe for nonviolent social change and peaceful resolution of conflicts since his personal encounter with Dr Martin Luther King Jr. and he shared his experiences on practicing nonviolence and in taking tangible and compassionate steps toward a peaceful world during. You can listen to the inspiring presentations here: 40 Days of Peace - Turning ‘The Dream’ of Peace into Action One Compassionate Step at a Time ( youtube.com )
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