Australians will get to have their say in the national referendum next month about whether to change the Constitution to recognise the First Peoples of Australia by establishing a body called the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice.
Many locals are unsure of what we are being asked to vote on and how the outcome will be determined.
There are three aspects to the proposal—recognising that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples are the First Peoples of Australia; establishing a body through which Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples can make representations to Parliament and the Executive; and giving Parliament the ultimate authority to determine how the Voice will function.
To help locals make an informed decision, they can gain more information at a Voice Referendum Information and Q&A Session next week in Cobar.
Heading up the information session are lawyers, Gemma McKinnon and Peta MacGillivray, who have been running Voice information sessions around the state.
“We’re not a part of any specific campaign, we’re just Aboriginal lawyers who want to do our part,” Gemma told The Cobar Weekly.
“We’ve run sessions in Wagga Wagga and Walgett, and our colleague has been doing a lot in her community of Orange and along the NSW north coast.
“On this trip we’ll also be visiting Brewarrina, Bourke, Wilcannia, and Broken Hill.”
Gemma said she and Peta are looking forward to meeting people from the Cobar community and answering questions to the best of their ability.
“We know the topic can be daunting and we’re hoping that we can shed some light on the subject.”
The event will include a presentation providing information about the constitution and voting in a referendum, background information on the Voice proposal, and a closer look at what Australians are being asked to vote on.
“This will be followed by a Q&A session where community members can ask questions of our presenters and find out where they can find more information,” Gemma said.
“Every voting Australian will be asked a Yes or No question at the ballot box.
“The Constitution belongs to the Australian people so it’s up to us all to decide when it’s time to make changes to it.
“We don’t often get the chance to vote in a referendum so it’s important to make an informed decision,” she said.
“We hope that this event can help to clarify things for people and provide a forum for respectful conversation as a community.
“We know that there’s a lot of information out there for people to sift through so if we can make that any easier for people then we’ll feel like we’ve done our bit.
“We’re passionate about Western NSW and encouraging communities to be a part of the national conversation,” Gemma said.
