On Friday, the premiers and chief ministers of Australia formally declared their support for the Indigenous Voice to Parliament. The statement of intent to back the Voice referendum was signed by Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and the leaders of the six states and territories at a national cabinet meeting at Parliament House in Canberra.
The Voice referendum, first proposed by the Uluru Statement from the Heart in 2017, is a call for the establishment of an Indigenous representative body to be enshrined in the Constitution. The body would provide a formal channel for Indigenous people to advise the federal government on Indigenous policy.
The statement of intent is an important milestone in the journey towards establishing the Voice. It is a commitment from each of the governments to work together to ensure the success of the referendum.
If successful, Australians will vote later this year in a referendum to amend the Constitution in order to incorporate a body that can provide advice to the current parliament on matters concerning Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.
The Prime Minister and the premiers and chief ministers declared in their joint statement on Friday they are committed to collaborating on the referendum.
“The Australian government, along with all state and territory governments, is committed to providing Australians with a free and fair referendum process in order to recognise Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders as the first peoples of Australia in our constitution,” the statement said.
