Indigenous voice to parliament: ‘We come from far and wide to add our voices to the cause’

Representatives of central Australia’s most remote Indigenous communities are asking Australians to vote Yes in the voice referendum.

Loud and clear … 90 delegates of the Central Land Council gather near Uluru to represent their remote communities and get their message across regarding the voice to parliament. Picture: Central Land Council

Representatives of central Australia’s most remote Indigenous communities are asking Australians to vote Yes in the voice referendum.

The 90 delegates of the Central Land Council, elected by their communities, are holding a council meeting near Uluru this week to discuss the most pressing issues in the bush.

The CLC has previously said that if the voice is established, they will ask it to advise the government on three issues: a reform of the failed work-for-the-dole scheme called CDP; housing; and food security in areas where fresh food is scarce, junk food is cheap and diabetes rates are among the highest in the world.

The delegates describe themselves as the “elected grassroots representatives of remote communities” because they were chosen by fellow residents to go to the Central Land Council.

They represent about 24,000 Aboriginal people from 15 language groups living in dozens of remote communities across an area measuring 777,000sq km.

Some of the delegates had already voted in the voice referendum when the Australian Electoral Commission visited their communities for early voting, while others cast their votes during a break in the council meeting on Wednesday.

Some were among Aboriginal leaders from around the country who helped create the Uluru Statement from the Heart and its call for a voice in May 2017.

“I was here six years ago, when we invited Australians to join us on a journey towards voice, treaty and truth-telling,” CLC delegate and Uluru traditional owner Sammy Wilson said after casting his vote in the building that hosted the Uluru Convention.

“Our council overwhelmingly voted Yes this morning because we know that when decision makers listen to our voices, we end up with policies that help us, not harm us, and money is spent wisely.”

CLC chair Matthew Palmer agreed. “The voice is our best hope in generations to turn our lives around,” he said. “It won’t come again in my lifetime, and I ask to you all to write Yes for all our children when you go into that voting booth.”

CLC executive member Barbara Shaw was one of the delegates at the Uluru Convention and has worked against family violence in town camps with the Tangentyere Women’s Safety Group. “I have waited all my life for this moment, but I’ll wait a little longer so I can vote Yes in my home town of Alice Springs on 14 October,” she said.