Annie FLORENCE
RED HILL
To whom it may concern
Submission for Co-design process
I am an Australian elder living in Canberra. I grew up in Mildura/Buronga region. I am retired now after a long career in nursing where I witnessed first hand the inequality in Indigenous health issues.
Why do you think the Uluru Statement from the Heart is important?
The Uluru Statement from the Heart is important because for far too long, Aborignal and Torres Strait Islander peoples have suffered from killings, genocide, the stealing of land, the introduction of disease and children stolen from their families, and we now have an opportunity to give Aborignal and Torres Strait Islander peoples greater say and authority over decisions that affect them.
Why is it important for Indigenous people to have a say in the matters that affect them?
Because at this present time, governments have taken on the power of making decisions for Indigenous people. It is time for discrimination and persecution to end.
How could a Voice to Parliament improve the lives of your community?
Hopefully it would give an opportunity for the First Nations to tell the truth about their history in their own voices and from their own point of view, so that members all communities would finally understand the First Nations history in Australia. I personally had to wait until I was 45 years old before I learnt about our black history.
Why do you think it's important to enshrine the Voice to Parliament in the Constitution, rather than include it only in legislation?
Legislation can be changed at the stroke of a pen.....constitutional issues can only be changed following a successful referendum.
"there is a potential for two sovereignties to co-exist in which both western and indigenous values and identities are protected and given voice in policies and law"
Thank you,
Annie FLORENCE
