With the date now locked in and the debate around the Indigenous Voice to Parliament set to ramp up even more, the Federal Member for Parramatta is encouraging locals to vote Yes.
Australians will head to the polls on October 14 to have their say on what’s been called a “once-in-a-generation” referendum.
If it receives a majority of the national vote and a majority of the states support – a double majority – the Voice would enable Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people to provide their input into the decisions, policies and laws that are made by the Government and Parliament.
Announced last week, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese told a South Australian audience that the Voice is a straightforward and clear proposal.
“The Voice will be a committee of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, local representatives from every state and territory, the regions, remote communities as well as the Torres Strait Islands,” he said.
“A committee of Indigenous Australians, chosen by Indigenous Australians, giving advice to Government so that we can get better results for Indigenous Australians.
“We’ll be able to hear directly from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities about the challenges they face in health and education, in jobs and housing, and we’ll be able to learn about the things that are working in local areas, so we can replicate them and make them work right around the country.”
Albanese said that voting Yes “won’t fix everything overnight,” but that the alternative – voting No – would lead nowhere.
“Voting No closes the door on this opportunity to move forward,” he continued.
“Voting Yes is a change for the better that all of us can make together.”
In Parramatta, Federal Member Andrew Charlton is urging locals to vote Yes, saying that the city has a rich historical connection with Aboriginal Australians.
“Our city is where Australia’s first official apology to the Stolen Generations was given in 1997 by Councillor Phil Russo, where Pemulwuy led raids against British colonists and where an Aboriginal person was represented on a council’s crest for the first time,” he told Parra News last week.
“We know how important Aboriginal Australians have been in shaping the history of Parramatta. But right now, the Constitution does not recognise or mention Aboriginal Australians.
“That’s not fair. The Voice will help fix that.”
Charlton added that the Voice will provide a pathway for Aboriginal communities to give advice to the Government on the laws that directly affect them.
“Consulting First Nations communities can help create policies that are more effective in closing the economic divide between non-Aboriginal and Aboriginal Australians,” he said.
Ellie Busby is a news reporter for Western Sydney Publishing Group. A graduate of the University of Hertfordshire and Western Sydney University, she is a journalism Major. Ellie has worked with Universal Media, The Cova Project and for a range of other organisations. In 2024, Ellie was named Young Writer of the Year at the Mumbrella Publish Awards.