“I would like to begin by acknowledging the lands of the traditional owners, recognising their continuing connection to the lands and waters of our area. I pay my respect to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures, and to Elders past and present.”
It is a statement, an acknowledgment I regularly make. An acknowledgement many of us are very familiar with and strongly support. It is an acknowledgement that builds reconciliation by stating this was our First Peoples land, and that they have a connection with this land from a time long before colonisation, well before Parliaments and well before our Constitution was drafted. The regular use of this acknowledgement shows respect and is a demonstration of our collective willingness to build better relationships.
At its heart, Reconciliation is about strengthening relationships between Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and non-Indigenous peoples, for the benefit of all Australians.
Later this year, all Australians will be asked to take another major step towards reconciliation. Building on the referendum of 1967, the Mabo decision, and the National Apology to the Stolen Generations, our community will be asked to amend the Constitution to finally recognise the special place of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in Australia’s history and to enshrine A Voice to Parliament. Voters will be asked: A Proposed Law: to alter the Constitution to recognise the First Peoples of Australia by establishing an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice. Do you approve this proposed alteration?
This idea, The Voice to Parliament, came from the Uluru Statement from the Heart. In that statement, there is a call for substantive constitutional change and structural reform. There is a belief within it that ancient sovereignty can shine through as a fuller expression of Australia’s nationhood. A statement and petition was produced in 2017 through the First Nations National Constitutional Convention – a meeting of 250 delegates from across Australia whose deliberations were informed by over 1,200 consultations.
On Monday 29 May, Reconciliation Day, I joined my Federal ACT Labor colleagues Alicia Payne MP, Andrew Leigh MP and Senator Katy Gallagher to facilitate a Community Forum on the Voice to Parliament; an important discussion, joined by over 500 Canberrans.
We were also joined by Minister for Indigenous Australians Linda Burney, Professor Peter Yu AM, Noah Allan and local Ngunnawal Elder Aunty Violet Sheridan to discuss the Voice and what it means to them. It was an opportunity to hear their personal stories and powerful perspectives behind why we need a Voice to Parliament.
It was a rich conversation including good questions from the floor – but it was Aunty Violet who reminded us, only as she can, that we as a nation, need to ‘take a look at ourselves’ and make change for a better future; a more reconciled future with better opportunities and better outcomes for the community.
All the participants of the Canberra forum left with a commitment to work together to ensure that the ACT and Australia support ‘Yes’ in response to the Uluru Statement from the Heart. And that an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice to Parliament will hopefully be enshrined in the Australian Constitution.
It is indeed a unique privilege to share this continent with the world’s oldest continuous culture. And it is a unique opportunity to potentially amend the Constitution. Let’s work to get this done.
