The push for greater awareness of the Voice to Parliament amongst members of the First Nations communities in Regional New South Wales and Queensland has been gaining ground in recent weeks. A collective of prominent First Nations leaders, known as Uluṟu Dialogue, has been organising information sessions to provide more information and answer questions about the Voice to Parliament.
The Uluṟu Dialogue collective is comprised of many of the very architects and authors of the historic Uluṟu Statement from the Heart, which was released in 2017 calling for constitutional reform to recognise the First Nations Peoples of Australia.
The Statement from the Heart outlined three key reforms: Constitutional reforms, establishing a Makarrata Commission and the Voice to Parliament. This latest push is to build upon the previous success of the statement and spread better awareness and understanding of the Voice to Parliament amongst the regional Indigenous communities.
Megan Davis, Co-Chair of the Dialogue, Balnaves Chair in Constitutional Law at the University of NSW, and Cobble Cobble woman Professor, has said that the sessions held over the last week and this week have had numerous requests for continuation.
“Because they are skeptical of politicians’ accounts of the Voice in public forums and in the media, they are eager to learn more. They are appreciative that we take the time to venture to their communities to discuss constitutional recognition as opposed to just trying to convince them through social media why they should not vote for it,
he said.
Last week, the Uluru Dialogue team held dialogues in Cooktown, Laura, Cairns, Mossman, Ingham, Innisfail, and Mareeba. Additionally, over the past week they have been travelling to and engaging multiple New South Wales regional towns and cities, such as Lightning Ridge, Walgett, Narrabri, Moree, and even Sydney.
