Australian Rugby League Commission chairman Peter Beattie says the game will proudly support the Uluru Statement, following a statement of support from leading organisations on Wednesday. .
The statement comes following the NRL's 2019 Indigenous Round celebrated the contribution Australia's First Nations people have made and continue to make to both society and the game of rugby league.
Beattie has thrown the support of the ARLC behind the concept.
"Rugby League has a long and special relationship with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities and as a sport we are committed to listening and working together with communities to achieve reconciliation," he said.
"The Australian Rugby League Commission is proud to support the Uluru Statement from the Heart and we look forward to walking together with our First Nations peoples towards a constitutionally enshrined voice in the Parliament."
The NRL has joined 13 other leading Australian organisations in pledging their support for the statement.
The Uluru Statement was issued in 2017 on behalf of First Nations peoples and is an incredibly personal and important proclamation to the Governments and peoples of Australia, seeking three actions:
- Constitutional reforms to empower our people and take a rightful place in our own country.
- The establishment of a First Nations Voice enshrined in the Constitution.
- A Makarrata Commission to supervise a process of agreement-making between governments and First Nations and truth-telling about our history.
The ARLC joins 13 of Australia’s leading organisations in publicly supporting the Uluru Statement.
Forty major banks and law firms throughout the country have a united voice in supporting the Statement and in turn, supporting truth-telling and agreement-making between Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and governments.
The NRL is proud of its work in the indigenous community:
- An established Indigenous Council, giving Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples a direct voice in the Game;
- An Indigenous Players Advisory Group, providing our Indigenous Players a direct voice in the game;
- As displayed through the Indigenous Round, the annual Indigenous All Stars matches and by becoming the first national sporting organisation to develop a Reconciliation Action Plan at elevate level.
