Thanks to Joy Salmond, the Explorer’s session on Information for the coming Referendum on the Voice, was a good experience for many people. Feedback has all been positive coming from members of the community, visitors from other Uniting Churches, and members of our congregation. Joy did an enormous amount of research and prepared some very interesting resources to share in a balanced way (see below). This is followed by a useful guide for anyone considering a similar session.
Below is a list of useful information on the structure of the Voice, policies, and key constitutional recognition dates and ways to check facts.
The Indigenous Voice Co-design Process (Calma/Langdon Report) is available free on the Australian Government website https://voice.gov.au/sites/default/files/resource/download/indigenous-voice-co-design-process-final-report_1.pdf and gives all the detail about the findings of the consultation with Indigenous people about The Voice, and makes recommendations to the government on how this can be implemented.
Government policies affecting Aboriginal Australians
Colonisation 1788-1890 Dispossession, extermination
Protection and segregation era- 1880s-mid 1940s-‘soothing the dying pillow’, removal of children from parents, bans on marriage
Assimilation era- 1940-1960s- Aim was to lose Aboriginal identity in the wider community.
Integration 1967-Integrate into white society
Self determination era- 1972-1990s. Whilst this was established with good intentions, it failed because successive governments imposed policies from ‘top-down’ without consultation with AaTSI people.
Reconciliation era- 1990s-early 2000s. Acknowledging injustice. Apology by government
The Intervention- 2007 John Howard introduced the policy, 2012 Labor extended it. 2022 it ended
Key Dates re Constitutional Recognition
- 2007- John Howard committed to constitutional recognition
- 2015- PM Malcolm Turnbull and Opposition Leader Bill shorten jointly appointed a Referendum Council to advise the government on a referendum on recognition of Aboriginal people in the Constitution.
- 2017- Uluru Statement from the Heart, a consensus document of that council – Voice, Treaty & Truth-telling
- 2017-2021 – Australia-wide consultation with Aboriginal and Torres St Islander groups –urban, regional and remote, and with Australia’s best constitutional law experts to determine how The Voice, if successful, would be implemented.
- 2019 – Scott Morrison rejected the proposal for a Voice enshrined in legislation. At this point it became a political issue.
- 2021 – Indigenous Voice Co-design Process released. This is sometimes referred to as the Calma/Langdon Report. It is a report on that 4 year in depth consultation and exactly how this Voice would be implemented.
- 2023 – The PM announced that the Voice Referendum would be held later in the year.
FACT CHECK Websites that give you independent assessment of the facts:
Assoc. Professor Paul Kildea
Guide to Referendum seminar_20230724_0001
oOo
Good background material.
Well done.