Special Episode: The Indigenous Voice To The Australian Parliament

Presenter: Shreyas Iyer.

Summary:

• There is a toxic amount of lies and misinformation regarding what is a very simple proposal for providing dignity to the First Nations people and helping our government make good decisions. 
• Polls show that the overwhelming majority of First Nations people are in favour of this proposal. 
• Better government policy and better use of government resources benefit all of us. 
• Listening to First Nations people and learning from their knowledge of the land also benefits all of us. 
• We shouldn’t expect this to be a panacea, but the status quo of wasting money and allowing our First Nations communities to languish is not tenable. 
• The 'No' campaign has not actually offered any alternative viable solutions.
• Our community is a melting pot of different peoples, but we all love this country and want to play our part in it. 
• We have provided our references, and also some useful resources for information regarding the Voice below.
• If you found this video helpful, please feel free to share and spread the word. If you would like to discuss this topic further or have any questions please feel free to reach out to us on social media. 
• On 14th October we have a chance to make a good decision for the future of this country, we have a chance to vote YES to the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice to Parliament. 

References

• https://www.wslhd.health.nsw.gov.au/ArticleDocuments/1232/WSLHD%20Year%20in%20Review%202021-22.pdf.aspx 
• https://www.abs.gov.au/articles/new-south-wales-aboriginal-and-torres-strait-islander-population-summary#where-aboriginal-and-torres-strait-islander-people-live
• https://www.abs.gov.au/statistics/people/aboriginal-and-torres-strait-islander-peoples/census-population-and-housing-counts-aboriginal-and-torres-strait-islander-australians/2021#new-south-wales 
• https://ulurustatement.org/history/the-journey-so-far/ 
• https://aci.health.nsw.gov.au/projects/co-design 
• https://www.aph.gov.au/About_Parliament/Senate/Powers_practice_n_procedures/Constitution.aspx 
• https://theconversation.com/indigenous-recognition-in-our-constitution-matters-and-will-need-greater-political-will-to-achieve-90296 
• https://about.abc.net.au/speeches/noel-pearson-boyer-lecture-series-who-we-were-and-who-we-can-be/ 
• https://www.survivalinternational.org/tribes/aboriginals#:~:text=There%20are%20about%20500%20different,large%20number%20of%20separate%20clans.&text=Archaeologists%20believe%20that%20the%20Aboriginals,continent%20around%2045%2C000%20years%20ago 
• https://www.indigenoushpf.gov.au/Measures/1-19-Life-expectancy-birth 
• https://www.indigenoushpf.gov.au/Measures/2-11-Contact-criminal-justice-system#keymessages 
• https://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-12-03/fact-check-aboriginal-men-in-jail-and-university/6907540 
• https://www.aihw.gov.au/reports/australias-health/indigenous-health-andwellbeing#Suicide%20and%20self-harm     
• https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-11-30/closing-the-gap-report-released/101713892 
• https://www.pc.gov.au/closing-the-gap-data/annual-data-report/report/snapshot-socioeconomic#seo10 
• https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-10-02/preventable-blindness-rates-have-been-halved/102916184  
• https://theconversation.com/governments-are-failing-to-share-decision-making-with-indigenous-people-productivity-commission-finds-210392#:~:text=The%20commission%20says%20too%20many,Agreement%20on%20Closing%20the%20Gap” 
• https://theconversation.com/many-claim-australias-longest-running-indigenous-body-failed-heres-why-thats-wrong-209511 

Useful Resources

• https://voice.gov.au 
• https://ulurustatement.org 
• https://www.reconciliation.org.au/reconciliation/support-a-voice-to-parliament/ 
• https://theconversation.com/the-voice-what-is-it-where-did-it-come-from-and-what-can-it-achieve-202138 
• https://theconversation.com/au/voice 
• https://www.abc.net.au/listen/programs/the-voice-referendum-explained 
• https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-09-29/fact-check-voice-to-parliament-misinformation/102913680 
• https://www.amnesty.org.au/the-voice-to-parliamentfaqs/#:~:text=The%20Voice%20will%20give%20independent,gender%20balanced%20and%20include%20youth