AFL asks clubs to form position on Indigenous Voice to parliament referendum
The AFL have begun to form their position on the Voice referendum, writing to all 18 clubs to ask them to come to a position on the vote.
AFL
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The AFL have gone to each of its member clubs to ask them to form a position on the Indigenous Voice to parliament.
With the league’s Sir Doug Nicholls Round on the horizon, the code will grapple with its second public policy vote in recent memory since the marriage equality plebiscite of 2017.
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The referendum is likely to take place between October and December, with Australians to vote on a change to the constitution to create an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice to represent Indigenous Australians on matters relating to First Nations affairs.
The Voice will form part of an advisory board to federal parliament, and will not contain veto power on legislation.
Tanya Hosch, the AFL’s general manager of Inclusion and Social Policy, sent the memo to clubs on Wednesday, asking them to establish a position on whether they will come out in support of the referendum’s yes campaign, and asking them to clarify it before May 8.
“We invite and encourage you to advise us if your club will be taking a position to support the referendum YES campaign,” the memo read.
“As the AFL will be considering this in the coming weeks, your advice on this will be gratefully received.
“This information is supplied to provide guidance regarding language to support building awareness of the Referendum during Sir Doug Nicholls Round in 2023.”
The clubs have been furnished with various information sessions by the AFL on the referendum, with the Inclusion and Social Policy team briefing each club ahead of the season and chief executives further briefed during Gather Round in Adelaide.
Collingwood remain the only club to make a public statement on the Voice as yet, but prominent football figures have come out in individual capacities as supportive of a yes vote.
“The board acknowledges and understands that to be better as a country and to enact meaningful change, we need to hear from First Nations peoples; their needs and aspirations,” the statement read.
“In doing so, it has been important for the club to facilitate discussions from both sides of the ‘Yes’ and ‘No’ campaigns to help inform individual decision-making.
“The club has engaged First Nations experts to present on both the Yes and No campaigns to its people.
“Through this process, the club has made clear to all its athletes, staff, members and supporters that everyone has an individual democratic right to vote however they wish.
“The club wants to be clear, we are not instructing anyone on how to vote but rather state that as a Board, we believe supporting a First Nations Voice to parliament is the right thing to do.”
Geelong captain and Players’ Association president Patrick Dangerfield has also backed a Yes vote, as well as the league’s right to campaign for the Yes side of the vote.
“We must continue to find ways to shine a light on marginalised sections of the community,” Dangerfield said earlier this year.
“As a code and a club and as a league, we have still got areas that we can improve vastly around all levels of support that we provide, but I think this (a voice to parliament) is certainly a step in the right direction.”
Three-time All-Australian Eddie Betts has also publicly endorsed the Voice, saying it was a small but important step.
“It’s a small step, but I think the right step, to have a Voice and be heard,” Betts told the Nine papers a fortnight ago.
“I’ve taken my time over the past 12 months, to speak to Elders, community members and people I trust to get more information about the Voice.
“I’ve listened to a range of opinions and worked hard to understand exactly what the Voice is and how it impacts Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.
“I know the Voice is not an immediate solution to the many barriers we as Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people face, but I feel like it’s the opening of a pathway to make sure we’re included and respected in decision-making on issues that affect us.”
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