Uniting Church in Australia
Northern Synod

In the opening service of Synod the new Moderator, Stuart McMillan said that Christ came to earth in defense of life. By his words & actions Christ opposed anything – force, power or person – that would diminish life. The Moderator said the way in which asylum seekers have been dehumanized & demonized must be challenged. He called for our political leaders & the community to respond with greater compassion to fellow human beings.

“The Territory Government’s policy to end bi-lingual education in Indigenous schools across the NT, continues to disempower & oppress Indigenous Territorians” said the Moderator. The Uniting Church calls for the NT Government to reinstate bi-lingual education.

“Indigenous Australians have been treated by successive governments as objects rather than subjects”, the Moderator said. “The Federal Government’s NT Emergency Response legislation is a further example of this. There must be a reevaluation of the policy & a renegotiation which recognizes the humanity of Indigenous people & empowers them to participate in the negotiation process.”