Indigenous voice to parliament: Prominent campaigners stand up to be counted

Prominent campaigners in favour of the voice to parliament gathered on Wednesday evening for an event organised by the City of Sydney and hosted by Stan Grant.

Shireen Morris, Anne Twomey, Stan Grant, Thomas Mayo and Shane Phillips at the Sydney Town Hall for the Voice-City Forum on Wednesday. Picture: John Feder

Prominent campaigners in favour of the voice to parliament, including Indigenous Affairs Minister Linda Burney and Indigenous leaders Noel Pearson and Thomas Mayo, gathered at Sydney’s town hall on Wednesday evening for an event organised by the City of Sydney and hosted by Stan Grant in his first major public appearance since stepping down from the chair of the ABC’s Q+A.

Ms Burney told the gathering: “The question must surely be asked. How much longer do Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people have to wait for recognition? In the words of the Prime Minister, if not now, when?

“If we miss this moment, we may never get it again. Referendums are rare. Friends, this is our moment, our moment to move this country forward together, and we have to grasp it in both hands.”

Sydney lord mayor Clover Moore in her opening address said: “This really is the official launch of our campaign to support the voice.

“I will be voting yes for the referendum and the city supports enshrining a First Nations voice in the Australian Constitution.”

The event, titled “Why the voice to parliament is essential to all Australians”, was also scheduled to hear from Mr Pearson and Mr Mayo, as well as former ABC journalist Kerry O’Brien, University of Sydney constitutional law professor Anne Twomey, and Macquarie University professor and author of author of Radical Heart Shireen Morris.