Kelly’s View on the Voice

In late 2023, Australians will vote 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 the Constitution.

This week, we heard from Kelly Andrews, CEO of Healthy Cities Illawarra.

I feel that as a country, this is a test of our maturity.

Are we mature enough to exercise compassion en-masse and make a simple decision, whether… “to alter the Constitution to recognise the First Peoples of Australia by establishing an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice”…

This is the only question being asked of us. There is nothing else on the table. So, let’s get on with it.

I struggle to believe that there even is a question to answer – but there is, and my response will be an emphatic YES, simply because it is the right thing to do.

I’m sick of being embarrassed by this country’s bad behaviour on the world stage. I was living in Dublin at the time of the Children Overboard affair and remember how appalling that was and how Australia was viewed. Our treatment of refugees in detention was appalling. The gross over-representation of Aboriginal incarceration, let alone deaths in custody, is appalling. We have no right to bear judgment on any other country’s human rights – and the world will be watching us.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders are simply asking for a seat at the table, and given everything they have been through, far be it from me to deny that. For the 97% of us who will vote Yes or No – the result will not even affect us, so I hope that we can be mature enough to put on our big boy/girl pants to make this happen. Because I’m sick of feeling embarrassed and ashamed – I want to burst with pride and embrace this moment in history which will see us ALL so much richer because of it.

Read HCI’s Commitment to the Uluru Statement from the Heart