2390

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Submission Number
2390
Participant
The Federation of Ethnic Communities’ Councils of Australia
Submission date
Main Submission File
View main submission attachment by The Federation of Ethnic Communities’ Councils of Australia 303.18 KB
Main Submission Automated Transcript

FECCA submission to National Voice to Parliament inquiry

29 April 2021

The Federation of Ethnic Communities’ Councils of Australia (FECCA) is the national peak
body representing multicultural Australians. We have 22 member organisations across each
state and territory capital as well as regional areas, who represent thousands of local
organisations. Our policy, research and advocacy work is guided and informed by this vast
network across Australia, and as such we have a deep understanding of the needs,
priorities, challenges and aspirations of multicultural Australia.

FECCA’s main goal is to help build a socially cohesive, multicultural nation where the
diverse cultures of new and established migrants are not just celebrated but woven into the
fabric of our society. We believe this is not truly possible unless we first acknowledge and
address the historic and current inequities faced by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander
Peoples.

FECCA strongly believes that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples must have a say
in the matters that affect them. We are proud to support the Uluru Statement from the Heart
and its vision for what a Voice to Parliament should look like.

We strongly support the call for the establishment of a First Nations Voice enshrined in the
Constitution.

FECCA considers that:

1. The Government must honour its election commitment to a referendum once a model
for the Voice has been settled to ensure that a First Nations Voice to Parliament is
protected by the Constitution;

2. Enabling legislation for the Voice must be passed after a referendum has been held
in the next term of Parliament; and

3. The membership model for the National Voice must ensure previously unheard
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people have the same chance of being selected
as established leadership figures.

FECCA is increasingly hearing from our membership and directly from multicultural
communities that listening to, learning from, and improving recognition of Aboriginal and
Torres Strait Islander Peoples and cultures in Australia is vital to creating the country that
they want to live in.

As such, we urge the Government to listen to the Uluru Statement from the Heart’s call for
substantive constitutional change and structural reform.

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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.