Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice

National Voice for the First People of Australia

On Saturday, 14 October 2023, Australians will have their say in a referendum to recognise Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as the First Peoples of Australia through an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice enshrined in our Constitution.

The Parishes of Camberwell, Balwyn Deepdene and Surrey Hills Wattle Park join with the Australian Catholic Bishops Conference (ACBC), Catholic Religious Australia (CRA) and the Fifth Plenary Council of the Catholic Church in Australia to endorse a constitutionally enshrined Voice to Parliament for the First People of Australia. Read more…

Read the Australian Catholic Bishops Conference Social Justice Statement for 2023-2024 entitled Listen, Learn, Love – A New Engagement with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples.

2023 Charles Perkins Oration delivered by Rachel Perkins

In this year’s Charles Perkins Oration, Rachel Perkins spoke of her father’s vision and the upcoming referendum as a nation-building moment on the path to reconciliation.

 

Uluru Statement from the Heart

The Uluru Statement from the Heart is the foundational document. It calls for a First Nations Voice to be permanently included in the Constitution and the establishment of a Makarrata Commission to supervise agreement-making and truth-telling about our history.

In May 2017, over 250 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Delegates from all points of the Southern Sky gathered in Mutitjulu in the shadow of Uluru and put their signatures on this historic statement. The Australian Government has committed to implement the Uluru Statement from the Heart in full.

Read or listen to the Uluru Statement from the Heart
Read the Australian Government information booklet, ‘Recognising Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples through a Voice’.

Voice Referendum

Sherry Balcombe, Executive Manager of Aboriginal Catholic Ministry in the Archdiocese of Melbourne shares her thoughts and hopes about the Uluru Statement from the Heart and the upcoming Voice referendum.

 

The long journey to recognition and referendum

Dean Parkin, Yes23 Campaign Director, provided the keynote presentation at the 2023 Mission: One Heart Many Voices (MOHMV) Conference organised by Catholic Religious Australia and Catholic Mission.

 

Other Resources

Visit One Journey, Together, the National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Catholic Council (NATSICC) website offering activities and resources to deepen our understanding of the referendum.

Read online or download a free resource about the 2023 referendum on a First Nations Voice to Parliament developed by Palaver, an independent publisher of ethical dialogue.

Watch a short video by SBS undertaken in collaboration with the Uluru Dialogue. View now…

Learn more about why constitutional recognition is necessary, Mercy Global Action has created a guide. Read more…

Read Voice doomsaying offensive by James Spigelman, KC in the Age Newspaper Digital Edition, 9/9/2023.

 

Read Melbourne Catholic article about Fr Frank Brennan’s insights on the application of Catholic Social Teaching to the Voice referendum. Read more…

Find out about Fr Frank Brennan’s recent book ‘An Indigenous Voice to Parliament: Considering a constitutional bridge’. Read more…

Read ‘The Voice to Parliament Handbook: All the details you need’ co-authored by Thomas Mayo & Kerry O’Brien. Available for purchase online or at retail book shops.  Read more…

Read online or download the Voice Referendum Resource Kit: Understanding the referendum from a human rights perspective prepared by the Australia Human Rights Commission.

Forecourt Mosaic, Parliament House, Canberra 1986-1987 – Michael Nelson Jagamara (c.1945-2020), Warlpiri people