The Voice to Parliament will help Australia's First Nations People.
I and many others attended the Voice to Parliament information night in Kooyong to learn more about why it is so important.
Bart Willoughby, A Pitjantjatjara man of the Mirning dreaming played didgeridoo and acknowledged the Wurundjeri people to open the event .
The speakers were:
Dr Monique Ryan, independent MP for Kooyong
Thomas Mayo, Kaurareg Aboriginal and Kalkalgal, Erubamle Torres Strait Islander man.
Marcus Stewart, Nira illim bulluk man of the Taungurung Nation
Some key points were made by the speakers.
Thomas Mayo: "The Voice will provide recognition to and consultation with First Nations people. Have conversations with your family and friends about this."
Many decades of struggle, heartbreak and hard work have led up to the Voice. The Voice is logical, its strategic for closing the gap, and its key for hearing indigenous people. The dialogues that led to the Voice considered lessons learnt.
Voices have been established many times before. Anytime they made the parliament uncomfortable they have been silenced. Petitions and statements have been ignored. A treaty was promised by Bob Hawke, but its failed to date.
Howard destroyed ATSIC. Governments have failed. The NT Intervention then happened.
The Voice To Parliament can advise the Australian government to take action on black deaths in custody and closing the gap.
Consensus was reached on Uluru Statement give it great power, dialogues across Australia were heard in safe places. The outcome was Voice, Treaty, Truth. The priority now is the Voice.
Australia is one of the very few like nations that don't have a Treaty or constitutional recognition of indigenous peoples.
Without a Voice, First Nations People go backwards.
The Voice To Parliament can provide advice to the parliament about any future attempts to suspend the Racial Discrimination Act (as Howard did during the racist NT Intervention).
The Voice to Parliament must be in the Constitution to stop future governments destroying it when they don't like what they hear and don't want to listen.
Its up to the Parliament to determine how the Voice will function and how it will be formed. This may change over time as lessons are learned - this detail must NOT be in the Constitution as then it cannot be altered when needed.
Marcus Stewart: "the Voice (now) is essential for getting to Treaty, which could take 20+ years."
Sovereignty has not been ceded and will never be ceded.
We are We are a strong people, but in this nation we don't have a political agency to make decisions that affect our lives. We watch other people decide whether our rights are respected and our voices heard.
Voice, Treaty and Truth will benefit the soul of this nation.
We are all lucky to walk on Aboriginal Land. We came to this place through different paths.
We have a once in a generation opportunity ahead of us at referendum.
What is on offer is over 60,000 years of history and culture, wisdom and knowledge, traditions and celebrations, strength and resilience, something we can all celebrate.
We will lose nothing but stand to gain so much. We love our culture and want to share it and have it respected and everyone able to celebrate it. All we ask in return is for the freedom and power to make decisions that impact our communities, our culture and our lands.
We want the freedom to choose our own paths in life. For too long Aboriginal people have had policies made to us, for us, but never by us.
Every aspects of our lives have been controlled by policies ... made by politicians who didn't understand us and didn't respect us.
Having a Voice is the first step in having a meaningful say in the decisions that affect our lives. Its not about assigning blame or guilt.
The alternative is waking up to a country post referendum that told our people and our communities that we don't belong and that our voice should be silent.
I urge everyone to not let the perfect get in the way of the good. Don't let the search for detail leave us without a seat at the table.
A Yes Vote is confirmation that you want all First Nations communities to thrive again, for our unique connection to this place to be recognised, respected and celebrated.
Opponents
The Liberal, National and One Nation parties all oppose the Voice to Parliament. Their reasons are unclear. There is no logic, evidence or facts supporting their positions. They are telling lies about the Voice.
Their political tactic is to spread fear, uncertainty and doubt to kill the Voice. They tried this during the unnecessary marriage plebiscite but it didn't work.
It also appears there is some racism behind this, which is very disappointing.
Some answers to questions
I can't understand how we would be able to progress Treaty without a Voice. One risk that a Treaty might be signed then torn up by government.
A good agreement never comes before you form a representative body. We have federal government. Its really important to setup a national body.
Treaty will take decades and will be an ongoing struggle, so a national body is going to be so important to ensure outcomes are achieved.
We can work towards a Treaty and have a Voice, work can proceed in tandem.
The Voice is just recognition and consultation. Have conversations with friends and colleagues about the Voice.
The Voice will be one mechanism to improve lives of First Nations People, better policies will result.
The Voice has an advisory to it can be ignored by government, but it would a brave government to do that. Parliament will remains responsible for making decisions. They should listen to what we have to say.
The Voice will not have a power of veto.
The parliament and the government will seek advice from First Nations people. For example, the lifting of alcohol bans.
Local, regional and national layers of representation will represent all groups across Australia.
The Voice will represent the community it serves. Out people will have a democratic say in who their representative are.
Why I will vote Yes
I will vote yes to the Voice To Parliament referendum. I respect the Uluru Statement and the wishes of First Nations people.
Australia's First Nation's people deserve to have a voice to parliament and government about policies and legislation that affect them.
Solicitor-general Stephen Donaghue advice on the Voice
On 21 April 2023 the government’s top lawyer stated the proposed Indigenous Voice to Parliament would "enhance" Australia's system of government, and does not believe it would "pose any threat" to the nation's parliamentary democracy.
- Voice to Parliament would be an 'enhancement' to constitution, according to solicitor-general - ABC News
Links
- The Uluru Statement
- Referendum on an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice - referendum question and constitutional amendment.
- Voice to Parliament referendum question and constitutional amendment announced - ABC News
- Voice to Parliament: Debunking 10 myths and misconceptions – Monash Lens
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