History of Covenanting
Although the Covenant relationship with the Uniting Aboriginal and Islander Christian Congress (UAICC) and the Uniting Church in Australia (UCA) began in 1994 with the Covenanting agreement at the 7th UCA Assembly, the history could begin earlier with a study of Aboriginal missions, or the struggle for land rights at Noonkanbah Station, or involvement at the Swan Brewery protests. As space is limited, I will begin in 1982, with the approach to the Bicentennial of British settlement in Australia.
Article by Rev Dr Alison Longworth, first published in the April 2024 edition of Revive magazine.
In 1982 the Uniting Church Assembly resolved in the ‘Bicentennial Celebrations’ resolution at the 3rd Assembly the UCA would only celebrate the Bicentennial if “sufficient progress has been made towards the just claims of the Aboriginal people for land rights, freedom to rebuild their society, and financial compensation.” The UAICC was formally recognised by the 4th UCA Assembly in 1985, however that year the Assembly went back on its earlier decision and encouraged all members of the church to celebrate the bicentennial even though acknowledging no progress had been made on land rights. Congress members and their supporters were deeply disappointed. Rev Charles Harris, President of the (UAICC) called for a protest march across Australia.
A small contingent from Western Australia joined the groundswell of marchers in Sydney on 26 January 1988, demonstrating that First Nations people had survived two hundred years of dispossession and injustice. What began as a protest became the ‘March Across Australia for Justice, Freedom and Hope’.
Following the success of the March, the UAICC offered the gift of the Covenant relationship to the Uniting Church in 1988, and it was accepted with acclamation. In his Manifesto Harris called Congress and Uniting Church members to reconciliation, as together we faced the unresolved issues of injustice that separate us. The church moves slowly, and it was another six years before the Covenant was formally signed at the 7th UCA Assembly meeting in July 1994.
Marilyn Garlett, a Ballardong Nyungar woman and I, a Wadjella woman, were present at the 1994 Annual Synod of WA. We were invited to read the dialogue Two Journeys by Anne Annear during the Synod communion service. The service had a focus on the Covenant and was led by the Moderator Lilian Hadley and Rev Sealin Garlett, husband of Marilyn. The dialogue is found in the book Committed to change: Covenanting in the Uniting Church in Australia by Delphine Delphin-Stanford and John Brown. It depicted a conversation between a First Nations woman whose people had suffered dispossession since British colonization and an Anglo-Saxon woman who had enjoyed a life of privilege since her colonial ancestors arrived in the colony. Marilyn had the last word, declaring there was a long way to go before justice is achieved for her people. The dialogue concluded with us facing each other in an uncomfortable silence. Later people remarked about the awkward ending, suggesting we might have hugged or at least joined hands as a sign of the Covenant relationship.
Was there an element of truth- telling in that awkward ending to the dialogue that foreshadowed the history of Covenanting on Nyungar country in Western Australia? Thirty years have passed since the formation of the Covenant. There have been positive times of sharing and learning together. On the other hand, there have also been occasions when the Synod has had to apologise to Congress for its failures.
Eleven-year-old Mitchell Garlett, of Whadjuk Nyungar heritage, and son of Marilyn and Sealin Garlett, attended the WA Synod in October 1994 as a member of the Children’s Synod. At that time Mitchell believed the Covenant was important because it would encourage sharing, partnership and reconciliation between First and Second Nation people. (Western Impact November 1994).
In April 2023 Mitchell continued to live out his commitment to the Covenant. UAICC WA Regional Congress Chair Rev Robert Jetta, Rev Mitchell Garlett and Auntie Jennifer Turner were interviewed about their support for the Voice to Parliament Referendum and these interviews were published on the UCA Assembly website. They were expressing their solidarity with the National and Regional Congress, Assembly Standing Committee and every Synod in support of the Voice.
The result of the referendum on an Indigenous Voice to Parliament held on 14 October 2023 showed that all six states of the Commonwealth plus the Northern Territory rejected the proposal. In the aftermath of the referendum Congress and Wadjella members of the Uniting Church WA Covenanting Commission expressed their deep disappointment at the outcome.
Marilyn said in 1994, there is still a long way to go before justice is achieved for her people. In 2024 there is still a long way to go on this Covenanting journey. May we continue to listen to one another, engage in truth-telling and work for justice within the church and the Australian community.
When asked about the 30th Anniversary of the Covenant, Rev Robert Jetta said:
Rev Robert Jetta, Chairperson of the UAICC WA Regional Committee, and Co-Chair of the Covenanting Commission.
“It’s been good working with the Covenanting Commission over the years, and being a part of the Uniting Church for the last 30 years. We look forward to keeping the strong relationship going that we have and to continue to work together in the future to make it better.”
