FIND THE TRUTH Busting myths about the Voice
FIND THE TRUTH Busting myths about the Voice
Why Yes
Voting Yes will provide an opportunity for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people to be heard by government, so that we can achieve better health, education and wellbeing outcomes for Indigenous people.
Australia’s constitution doesn’t recognise Indigenous people.
The vote is responding to the requests of Indigenous Elders who met in 2017 and called for change.
The Voice provides an opportunity to formally recognise Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander People, and to provide information and advice direct to government in relation to laws and policies that affect them.
The Case for Yes
- Uniting Australia: All Australians can be proud of positive steps towards recognising and supporting Indigenous Australians, who have not enjoyed equal rights or recognition for much of the time since Europeans settled here.
- Recogition: The Australian Constitution doesn’t recognise the rights and country of Indigenous Australians, who have had a cultural connection to this land for more than 65,000 years.
- Address inequality: Indigenous Australians have a lower life expectancy, poorer education outcomes, more health issues, higher incarceration rate and lower incomes than non-Indigenous Australians.
- Better outcomes from Government: Successive Australian governments have spent billions of dollars trying to close this gap, but many efforts have failed. A Voice to Parliament will enable the government to listen to solutions from community, as well as better understand the challenges that we face as a nation. The Voice to Parliament offers an opportunity to increase the effectiveness of government programs, as well as giving power back to communities to have a say in what changes need to be made.
- A greater say: The Voice provides Indigenous Australians with a better opportunity to be heard, so that new solutions can be developed.
- Constitutional protection: The referendum seeks to establish the Voice within the constitution – meaning that as governments change, the Voice can’t be erased if a government doesn’t like it.
- Guiding, not ruling: The Voice will provide advice and information to guide the Federal Government on relevant policies. The Voice will not control policies or funding. Democratically-elected governments will continue to rule the country. The difference is that they will be able to easily access advice from Indigenous people when required.
Resources
VFR is not affiliated with any party or other campaign. We support the campaign in favour of the referendum as a grassroots initiative of staff and students in the education sector.
Free Voice course
A free microcredential course on the Indigenous Voice to Parliament has been developed by Macquarie University and is a great way to understand the proposed Voice in greater detail. The course is available online and takes only 1-2 hours. You can register for the course online now.
Further reading
For more information about other campaigns relating to the referendum you can visit the following pages.
Yes23 volunteer page
Sign up to be a volunteer for the Yes23 campaign and make your voice heard in the upcoming referendum.
Local Yes groups
Join a Local Yes Group: a team of volunteers who organise for Yes in their community, and take regular action together.
Referendum information
A range of resources about the Voice and the referendum, including posters, templates, social media posts, and more.
1965 Freedom Ride
'The Freedom Ride was probably the greatest and most exciting event I have ever been involved in.' — Charles Perkins
Close The Gap
A First Nations Voice to Parliament protected by the Constitution is a key element of the Uluru Statement from the Heart.
Supporting the Uluru Statement
The University of Canberra (UC) supports the Uluru Statement from the Heart.
Support for the Voice
More than 70 organisations are all members of a network of 2,450 organisations with a Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP).
VFR23 Posters
Show your support with one of our posters! Step on board. You can be making change in seconds. No cost. All welcome.
Voice to Parliament
Understand the proposed Indigenous Voice to Parliament with the help of University of Melbourne experts.
It’s Not JUST the Vibe, It’s the Constitution!
Produced in the UCFM studios, a new podcast series exploring the Australian constitution.
