The Voice to Parliament – An Australian Legal Literacy Resource
The Voice to Parliament is the subject of an upcoming referendum in Australia. The referendum seeks to alter the Constitution of Australia.
The referendum question will be:
A Proposed Law: to alter the Constitution to recognise the First Peoples of Australia by establishing an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice. Do you approve this proposed alteration?
The debate about the Voice to Parliament and the referendum has become politicised and there are many differing perspectives.
Finding accurate resources online that support and build legal literacy can be a challenge for educators, students and members of the community. This post seeks to provide a list of some of the reputable and interesting resources that will assist in providing a reasoned response to some of the misinformation online.
Thanks to the #auslaw community of Twitter for their assistance in compiling this post.
Please feel free to contact us if you feel a resource/author/website has been overlooked.
The Uluru Statement from the Heart
Download the text of the Uluru Statement from the Heart
We seek constitutional reforms to empower our people and take a rightful place in our own country. When we have power over our destiny our children will flourish. They will walk in two worlds and their culture will be a gift to their country. We call for the establishment of a First Nations Voice enshrined in the Constitution.
Read about the dialogues that led to the Uluru Statement from the Heart
What is the Voice to Parliament?
Professor Megan Davis is an Aboriginal scholar. In this video ‘
This ABC Behind the News video ‘Voice to Parliament’ discusses some of the debate and outlines different perspectives on the Voice.
This article in the Conversation by Professor Gabrielle Appleby and Eddie Synot ‘The Voice: what is it, where did it come from, and what can it achieve?’ details the long history of the Voice and clearly sets out the key elements of the proposed consititutional change.
The Voice provides permanent representation and recognition for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples in the Constitution.
The Voice will be a new body that represents Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people from across Australia to provide their input into the decisions, policies and laws that are made by the government and parliament.
The First Nations Portfolio of the Australian National University has assembled a document that answers many of the questions asked about the Voice to Parliament.
It is vital that Australians understand the proposal and understand why Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples have called for a Voice to be put in the Constitution.
This document has been prepared by the First Nations Portfolio (FNP) at The Australian National University (ANU). It provides responses to common concerns currently being raised about the Voice. It is intended to help people better understand some of the complex issues and confusing commentary that has surrounded the Voice proposal so they can make an informed decision when they vote at the referendum later this year.