OPINION: The voices that need to be heard

When it comes to the referendum on the Voice, the best vote is an informed vote, writes Leeonee Thompson.

So it’s looking likely that we will be heading to the polls again in 2023 – not for politicians though, for our community.

At the Garma Festival this year, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese confirmed his election night statement of support for the Uluru Statement from the Heart in full, by taking a step towards a referendum to enshrine a Voice to Parliament – a referendum that is likely to be held next year.

Leeonee Thompson

I strongly believe that the best vote is an informed vote and wanted to reach out to the Townsville community to give you my insights as someone who grew up locally in North Queensland and who has been involved in the development of the Uluru Statement from the Heart and the Voice to Parliament over the last five years.

I’m a Mamu woman who grew up on Country in Millaa Millaa and then Tully before moving to Brisbane to study. I’m now working for KPMG and regularly in and out of the Townsville office that the firm opened this year.

In 2017 my Aunty Joann and I were elected to represent our communities at the National Constitutional Convention at Uluru. This was a historic meeting of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people from across Australia that created the Uluru Statement from the Heart, calling for a Voice, Treaty and Truth.

The Voice will allow Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people to advise the Parliament and Government of the day directly on matters that affect us. A referendum would ensure a Voice to Parliament is enshrined in the constitution, is permanent and cannot be easily changed with the cycles of government.

An enshrined Voice is not only the best way to ensure the longevity of this reform, it also gives it the respect of being in the same document as key government bodies – although it is important to note an enshrined Voice is not a third chamber of government nor does it have veto power, it gives indigenous people a mechanism to advise Parliament and the Government directly on policies that affect us.

Prime Minister of Australia Anthony Albanese with Yolngu People during the Garma Festival 2022 at Gulkula on July 29, 2022 in East Arnhem, Australia. (Photo by Tamati Smith/Getty Images)

I’ve worked in government and seen for myself that there is a clear gap in understanding and implementing the views of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities to achieve positive outcomes.

The reality of this gap is felt more in regions, outside of the city centres.

Investing resources and funding into programs that don’t listen to the people they are aiming to help are only going to struggle to succeed and as funding decreases the further away you are from a major city this struggle is more apparent.

Programs that come from community, and which are informed by the community, see real outcomes and that is what is needed for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities. We see this in North Queensland when we have strong and vocal leaders advocating for what is needed up here, real change happens, local and regional issues are addressed, and our lives and opportunities improve.

The Voice will change the way Parliament and Government works with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. It will allow our people to table their concerns and provide solutions for our people.

And the first step to this change is voting ‘YES’.

This change is one of the most significant for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people this century.

But it’s one we can’t enact on our own and it needs the support of all Australians.

As a non-Indigenous person this is an opportunity for you to change the future of so many people and build a more reconciled and equitable country.

While this may seem like another policy change that happens so far away, it is one that has been driven from communities, strongly by locals in North Queensland, and we will be working to ensure the positive outcomes will be felt here as well.

It’s our chance to make Parliament and Government listen to us and your chance to change the future of your local community as well.

For more resources and information please visit https://ulurustatement.org/.

As we get closer to the referendum I will be around locally and am always happy to have a yarn.

This campaign came from the community and is driven by us – it’s not government funded and will rely on people on the ground to explain the impact this vote can have.

Leeonee Thompson proud Mamu-Waribarra woman and was a delegate to the National Constitutional Convention in Uluru in 2017.

Originally published as OPINION: The voices that need to be heard