History demonstrates why Indigenous communities need an advisory Voice in laws and policies made about them, and why more than 80 per cent of Indigenous Australians want a guaranteed say in their own affairs. When policymakers don’t listen, they make unfair and unproductive decisions. Listening to local Indigenous communities achieves better results.

The Constitution of 1901 explicitly excluded Indigenous peoples, including under race-based clauses that said they should not be counted as part of the population for voting purposes. It created a top-down power dynamic that continues today.