Melanie Debenham is joined by Gemma McKinnon and Bianca Janovic from our Pro Bono and Responsible Business teams to take us through the Regional Dialogue process that led to the Uluru Statement from the Heart and how it relates to the Voice referendum proposal. They discuss the proposed constitutional amendment and principles of the Voice to Parliament. They address some of the more “lawyerly” considerations and practicalities of implementing a Voice to Parliament – as well as its accountability to the community and recognition of 65,000 years of continued care for country by First Nations people.
We recognise that voters must make their own decision at the ballot box and hope to assist people to make their own informed decision.
For more information, we provide some further resources:
•Law Council of Australia’s material on the Referendum: https://lawcouncil.au/policy-agenda/the-referendum-for-an-aboriginal-and-torres-strait-islander-voice
•Joint Select Committee Parliamentary Inquiry materials (e.g. final report, hearing transcripts and submissions): https://www.aph.gov.au/News_and_Events/Watch_Read_Listen and https://www.aph.gov.au/Parliamentary_Business/Committees/Joint/Aboriginal_and_Torres_Strait_Islander_Voice_Referendum/VoiceReferendum/Public_Hearings
•Australian Electoral Commission, ‘Referendums… it’s been a while’: https://www.aec.gov.au/referendums/
•National Indigenous Australians Agency Voice: https://voice.niaa.gov.au/
•AUSPUBLAW blog: https://www.auspublaw.org/