Voice to Parliament: Three things that a Yes vote will do

A leading voice in the Yes campaign has revealed the three practical changes that the referendum passing would achieve.

The sight of tens of thousands of Australians coming together on the weekend to march in support of the Yes campaign tells you everything you need to know about the Voice and the choice facing Australians on 14 October.

Yes is about unity. It is about hope. Most of all it is about the fact that a better future can be built for all of us, once we listen to each other with respect and even love.

In recent years, I’ve noticed increasing numbers of Australians of all backgrounds wanting to learn more about the expansive, foundational history of this continent. They are genuinely excited and proud that this country is home to the oldest continuous living culture on the planet.

Pat Anderson is a passionate advocate for The Voice to Parliament. Picture: Sam Ruttyn

For more than 60,000 years, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people have lived on and managed these lands, building an unrivalled fount of wisdom, knowledge and traditions.

History has not always been kind. Change has often been brutal. For too long, we, the First Peoples of Australia, were treated as a problem that had to be “solved”, rather than as equal citizens with knowledge to share and a deep desire to create a better future for all our children.

We recognise we cannot go back. Instead, we turn our eyes to the future. On 14 October, Australians stand at a crossroads in our history.

In practical terms, a Yes vote will do three things: First, it will send a strong message to government that Australians think “more of the same” – delivering more expensive, failed programs and policies – is not acceptable. We continue to suffer shorter life expectancies, higher suicide rates and a range of poor health and educational outcomes.

As a nation, we can and must do better. Second, it will establish the Voice as an advisory body for First Nations people to have a say on the priorities for our own communities, an idea supported widely by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.

Finally, It will make a practical difference – because we know listening first always creates better outcomes. The best way to bridge the gaps in health, education, and economic outcomes that persist in our communities today is to learn from them about their diverse lived experience.

We know there are children being born today whose futures can be substantially improved by the adults who are about to step into the ballot box. Whether it’s better housing in Katherine, cleaner drinking water in Yarrabah and many other communities around Australia or “Deadly Kindy” programs south of Brisbane, First Nations children deserve the same opportunities as any other child born today.

Tens of thousands of Australians literally walked together on the weekend. Voting Yes on 14 October is our chance to walk away from division and into a more positive and united future for our children and all generations to come.

Originally published as Voice to Parliament: Three things that a Yes vote will do