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Submissions: Your Feedback

Submissions from people and organisations who have agreed to have their feedback published are provided below.

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Submission Number
113
Participant
Anonymous
Submission date
Main Submission File
View main submission attachment by Anonymous39.15 KB
Main Submission Automated Transcript

28/01/2021
Submission – Indigenous Interim Voice Co-Design

I am writing a submission to request that the government, who represents us the people,
respect our demands and honour its own commitments it has made in previous elections.

I call on the government to honour its promise to a referendum once a model for the
Indigenous Voice to Parliament has been created. A National Voice for Indigenous
Australians must be enshrined in the Constitution to enable real change that is desperately
needed for our communities, and not just rely on the promise of politicians that are made year
after year, only to be forgotten about or changed when a new government is elected. A
Constitutional change, made possible by a referendum, will ensure Indigenous voices are
always heard and must be listened to.

The second aspect I am calling for is that the government enable legislation for the Voice to
be passed after a referendum has been held in the next term of Parliament. It is vital that a
referendum is held first so that, like I have stressed, the changes that are made are
Constitutional and binding.

Finally, I insist that the membership model for the National Voice must ensure that all
Indigenous voices are heard, regardless of their locality or tribe. In fact, it must be prioritised
that rural and regional, including Indigenous people living in extremely isolated locations and
Torres Strait Islanders, are listened to and included in a future membership model. This will
ensure that previously unheard Indigenous Australians have the same chance as being
selected as well-known and established leadership figures in the community.

I also want to add that it is important there is a two-stage process to establishing a Voice to
Parliament. The constitutional, legislative and executive options to enacting the Voice should
be a structural and separate process that results in the Australian public having the time to
properly understand the details of the Voice before a referendum is held. The second step will
of course be the drafting of the constitutional amendment that will allow the Voice to exist
and be put forward in a referendum, and then finally a pathway to a referendum in the next
term of Parliament being created.

Thank you for listening to our voice and I hope you will listen to this submission. We are
crying for change.

 

 

We acknowledge the Traditional Owners and custodians of country throughout Australia and their continuing connection to land, waters and community. We pay our respects to the people, the cultures and the Elders past, present and emerging.