To Co-Design Body
Submission to Co-design process
I grew up in Townsville, and have lived in south-east Queensland, Tasmania and now back in
Brisbane.
Why do you think the Uluru Statement from the Heart is important?
The Uluru Statement from the Heart represents the best and clearest statement of indigenous
Australians bringing their shared voice from many nations and many parts of the land. It's a
voice that cannot, must not, be ignored.
How could a Voice to Parliament improve the lives of your community?
An indigenous voice to Parliament will shape and support the lives of first nations people,
without question. It will also help shape the wider Australian society, helping us to come to
terms with our past, and with the impact of Government decisions on all Australians today
and going forward.
Why is it important for Indigenous people to have a say in the matters that affect them?
I believe that our country will never be able to honestly, openly and earnestly deal with both
its history and the present place of indigenous Australians in our shared society, without
genuine, generous and sacrificial change. An indigenous voice to the nation, described in the
Uluru Statement from the Heart, and shaped by many indigenous Australians, would
represent such change.
Why do you think it's important to enshrine the Voice to Parliament in the Constitution,
rather than include it only in legislation?
Legislation is relatively easily changed, depending on the whim and will of the Government
of the day. The Constitution represents and enduring statement of what it means to be the
nation of Australia - and is much harder to change. Our core document, the Constitution, sets
the tone and standard upon which the rest of our body of legislation is based - and therefore is
the much preferred location for determining the importance of the Voice to Parliament.
Kind regards,
