As non-indigenous Australians we are committed to the rights of the Indigenous peoples of this country, and I acknowledge with gratitude the work of those involved in the Co-design Process.
Those of us who have come to this land from the time of the arrival of the First Fleet until now must respect the descendants of those who have lived here for 65.000 years and more.
Therefore, we affirm the Uluru Statement from the Heart with its call for a national Voice to Parliament, to be enshrined in the Australian Constitution; we also support its call for a Makarrata Commission to supervise agreement making and truth telling of our shared history. Our hope would be that whatever model is put in place gives Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people the capacity to participate in decision-making in matters that concern them.
We do not believe that a legislated Voice would provide the stability that a Voice enshrined in the Australian Constitution would provide.
We therefore ask the Australian Government
1. to take a model for a Voice to Parliament, to a referendum and
2. that legislation for the Voice be passed after the referendum, and
3. finally that the membership be such that voices at all levels of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people are heard.
Signed
Elisabeth Burke
Pierre Thibaudeau
Potts Point. NSW. 2011
