The Uniting Church’s national Assembly, meeting in Adelaide July 15-22, today received a report claiming that Australia’s greatest national sin was the "demon of terra nullius."

The report comes before the national assembly as it prepares to discuss a proposal to support a national push for a treaty between indigenous and non-indigenous Australians.

Another proposal calls on the Uniting Church itself to ensure that a quota of two per cent of its national workforce be Aboriginal people.

Presenting the report, the Assembly’s national covenanting director, Peter Lewis, said indigenous people had, in a sense, been crucified by a forgetful church and settler population.

The report says, "True reconciliation (in Australia) can only be based on purging the demonic spirit of terra nullius (nobody’s land) from our nation. It is this nation’s greatest sin.

It says terra nullius "led to the dispossession of land, of economic foundation, of culture of children and families". The white Christian community, it says, must accept its role in the dispossession of indigenous people.

It says non–indigenous Australians "were taught the lie of terra nullius … Indigenous Australians were taught to forget who they were before the colonials came."

Referring to the assembly theme "Here were are …+ … send us", Peter Lewis told the assembly there were lots of ways to be sent. One, he said, was to go with nothing. "Perhaps if we arrived without our cultural baggage, our guns, our disease, our prejudices … We need to arrive as listeners, reconcilers and receivers of grace."

Speaking on the need for a treaty, Vince Ross from Victoria said if he was "coaching" the assembly he’d tell it to go down the middle, direct to goal. He said, "We have more going for us than against us. Get to the depth of what is happening to Aboriginal people and quit mucking around."

He said, "We need to make some adjustments within this church … I’m sure we could see some great miracles for indigenous people in Australia."

He said he understood why indigenous people were getting restless but if Australia’s roots went deep into indigenous soil it could "become a really powerful nation and a nation that God can use".

"God is calling us together in a beautiful way," he said. "We have so much going for us. We are going to change things. We are going to change this nation by moving together."

Assembly 2000, SA (July 18, 2000)