Christine Castley
Our Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples are the heart of this country.
We live on lands that have been home to the oldest continuous living culture in the world. This is a privilege that should be celebrated, respected and very visibly recognised, as we tell the true story of who we are as a nation, going back more than 60,000 years.
I will be voting YES in the upcoming referendum on The Voice because supporting a First Nations Voice on matters affecting First Nations Peoples is the right thing to do. It will make a practical difference to the lives of Indigenous peoples by providing the right advice to government and the Parliament about how to achieve better outcomes and better targeted government spending. There is well-established evidence that programs and services for Indigenous peoples work best when they are based on the advice and knowledge of those who are the experts on matters affecting Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples – those experts are Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples who understand the personal, social and place-based issues for their communities.
There are many complex and wonderful dimensions to who Australia is as a country. The First Nations culture, legacy and tradition are core, providing the foundational building block for a country that also been shaped by settlers and migrants. This is about all of Australia coming together as one to create the narrative about how we will move forward as a nation made up of many cultures.
The conversation to date has been very robust – and it should be robust because it’s about taking a very important step forward for the good of Australia as a whole. Amidst these robust conversations, my wish is that we will remember to be kind to each other and to engage in the conversation with empathy and respect.
My hope is that all Australians will inform themselves on the Referendum and seize the opportunity to be a part of history as they exercise their voice and their vote.