Referendum ‘Yes’ campaign for The Voice and recognition of indigenous culture in the constitution launches with an iconic ad featuring Johnny Farnham singing You’re The Voice, showing moments of progress and unity for Australia. We also feature Paul Kelly’s song, If Not Now.
The Voice is an advisory committee that would be established as part of the constitution, for indigenous people to advise the government on issues affecting aboriginal people and communities. The processes for operation of this advisory body would be regulated by the Commonwealth parliament through legislation.
Establishing the Voice is recognition of the over 65,000 years of indigenous culture and caring for country for Australia and offers an opportunity for a degree of speaking to government to redress long standing issues of injustice and inequality.
The status quo isn’t working. There are real gaps between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians in life expectancy, infant mortality, health, housing, education and employment. We have an opportunity to improve this, together.
A statement of simple recognition in the constitution, as advocated by Opposition Leader Peter Dutton, lacks significance and amounts to tokenism, providing no improvement in addressing long standing issues. The Voice is a non-trivial opportunity to listen to aboriginal communities, to bring us all closer in reconciliation and unity.
The Uluru Statement from the Heart in 2017 is a generous invitation to Australia. It called for the establishment of the Voice in the Constitution:
We seek constitutional reforms to empower our people and take a rightful place in our own country. When we have power over our destiny our children will flourish. They will walk in two worlds and their culture will be a gift to their country.
We call for the establishment of a First Nations Voice enshrined in the Constitution.
Uluru Statement from the Heart
Climate Action Merribek has signed a statement by climate and environmental groups of support and advocacy for a Yes vote for the Referendum on October 14.
We are going to end this post with another iconic track, from the equally famous Australian singer Paul Kelly, If Not Now:
It’s a simple proposition to join the new and old
A chance to make our country larger in its soul
It’s an invitation offered to set our course anew
If not now, then when? If not us, then who?
More Information:
Uluru Statement from the Heart from 2017 https://ulurustatement.org/the-statement/view-the-statement/
Yes 23 Campaign website https://www.yes23.com.au/
Climate Action Merribek 