NATIONAL ABORIGINAL & TORRES STRAIT
ISLANDER ECUMENICAL COMMISSION

Continuing the Journey...

The Review Process

[Back to Contents]

    <Previous                        Next>

Review objectives

The request to the churches had a number of objectives:

• To identify with accuracy the responses that member churches have made, to date, in responding to the recommendations of the Bringing Them Home report and the Reconciliation process,
• To initiate a process whereby the member churches will be encouraged to evaluate/reflect on their responses,
• To encourage a reflection on 'why' the member churches should be responding to the recommendations,
• To inform churches of responses which have been made, of which they may not be aware and which they may find challenging and inspiring,
• To provide the member churches with direction [recommendations] and resources for action beyond Corroborree 2000,
• To enable, through the recommendations, individuals within the churches to move beyond the emotional responses which were brought about through hearing the stories told by members of the Stolen Generations.

Review forms

The Council for Aboriginal Reconciliation (CAR) launched the Roadmap for Reconciliation in 2000. The Roadmap documents the key strategies identified by CAR for achieving reconciliation. The AIC recognised that the Roadmap provided a useful benchmark against which the churches' response could be evaluated.

The questions included on Form 1 [Appendix III], Member Church Responses to Reconciliation, were developed from the framework provided by the Roadmap for Reconciliation.

Form 2 and Form 3 [Appendix III], Member Church Responses to the 'Bringing them home' Report were developed from a reading of the report of the National Inquiry into the Separation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Children from Their Families, The recommendations, which had particular relevance for the churches, were divided into two

categories. Form 2 includes those recommendations which can be supported by all the member churches. Form 3 contains the recommendations specifically related to those churches which had played a role in forcible removals by providing accommodation and services to the children.

Member church contact persons

Member churches were contacted and invited to participate in the review. Each church was asked to name a contact person. Contact persons were responsible for disseminating the forms to the relevant church bodies and collating the information gathered before passing it on to the AIC.

This presented a considerable workload for the contact persons, particularly in the larger churches that have quite complex structures. We would like to acknowledge their effort.

Anglican Church of Australia Mr Russell Rollason
Antiochian Orthodox Church Archpriest Nicolas Mansour
Churches of Christ in Australia Mr Robert Smith
Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of Australia Mr Dimitri Kepreotes
Lutheran Church of Australia Rev John Pfitzner
The Salvation Army - Australian Southern
Territory/Australian Eastern & PNG Territory Commissioners Morgan and Davis
The Australian Catholic Bishops Conference Sister Daphne McKeogh
Romanian Orthodox Church Rev Dr Gabriel Popescu
Uniting Church in Australia Mr Peter Lewis

The state ecumenical church bodies were also asked to provide information on their involvements.
Tasmanian Council of Churches Rev Robert Faser
Victorian Council of Churches Ms Maureen Postma
NSW Ecumenical Council Rev Dr Ray Williamson
Queensland Churches Together Rev Russell Morris
South Australian Council of Churches Rev Vikki Waller
Northern Territory Council of Churches Ms Marie Emmanuel

The AIC Commissioners

The AIC Commissioners came together in February/March 2001 and workshopped recommendations arising out of the review material. Teleconferences brought the Commissioners together in April and May to complete the process.