Florence Coghlan
If there's one aspect of supreme leadership I'm certain about, it's that the voices of those impacted by decisions are invaluable. More than 250 First Nations people signed the Uluru Statement from the Heart, a statement carefully constructed through extensive and inclusive consultation with more than 1200 people from far-reaching communities. They told Australia they needed this. A Voice to Parliament to advise, not to govern. Time's-up on the arrogance that suggests non-Indigenous people know what's best for the First Nations populations in Australia.
For me, enshrining a Voice in the Constitution is an opportunity for non-Indigenous Australia and a crucial opportunity for non-indigenous Australia to own our history and acknowledge historical injustices and dispossession. This history is part of our identity, but owning it and working toward reconciliation should be too. That's the Australian I want to be and the Australia I want to belong to. I want to be proud of my country, a country that can admit we took something that wasn't ours and has the integrity to return some sovereignty to First Peoples. I deeply value democracy, but our pre-colonial history demands and deserves one that prioritises those who were here first.
I can appreciate that with the complex and confusing media messaging around the referendum that voting "Yes" might not make perfect sense to some, but voting "No" makes none.