What is a Makarrata Commission?
Queensland Teachers' Journal, Vol 128 No 4, 9 June 2023, page no.27
The Uluru Statement from the Heart calls for Voice, Treaty, and Truth, and specifically, a Makarrata Commission.
Makarrata is a word from the language of the Yolngu people in Arnhem Land, and a Makarrata Commission would supervise a process of agreement-making between governments and First Nations peoples and truth-telling about our history.
The Yolngu concept of Makarrata means two parties coming together after a struggle, healing divisions of the past. It is also about acknowledging something that has been done wrong, and seeking to make things right.
The word Makarrata has often been used, but was formally adopted in the 1980s when the National Aboriginal Conference adopted the word, making it clear that this needs to be an agreement within Australia, between Australians.
By recording the truth about the past, both First Nations and non-Indigenous peoples can come together and forge a positive, ongoing relationship.
After Voice and Treaty are achieved, we will work towards Truth, using a Makarrata Commission. This commission would have two roles – supervising a process of agreement-making, and overseeing a process of truth-telling.
Makarrata will enable the full extent of past injustices experienced by First Nations peoples to be uncovered and revealed. It is only then that all Australians would understand our history, helping us in moving toward genuine reconciliation. This process may be similar in form to the inquiry that led to the Bringing Them Home report, which revealed the truth surrounding the Stolen Generations. The inquiry involved an extensive program of hearings in every capital city and in many regional centres.
We can only achieve a Makarrata Commission if we achieve the Voice to Parliament, so please vote YES in the forthcoming referendum.
Emerson Zerafa-Payne
acting Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Officer