Suzy Wilson AM
For over twenty years I have sung in a small choir, an acapella group. Such great joy to be had, being part of a chorus of voices. We listen to each other, carefully, intently, which helps us sing in tune. Glorious harmony! When we fail to listen well - we are so much ‘less’, an uncomfortable dissonance.
In response to the Statement from the Heart, I am joining a chorus of far greater gravitas for this country. I am joining the chorus that votes “YES” to recognising First Nations peoples in our constitution and creating a formal voice to our Federal Parliament.
This recognition will allow Indigenous Australians to have a voice at the table, on matters that directly concern them.
This recognition sets our country on a path of hope and greater wisdom, and will help us stop making the same, in many cases, catastrophic mistakes, that we have made in the past
This recognition may help us hold up our heads, in the eyes of the world, with regard to our human right’s record.
To those voters who are confused about this referendum or are sitting on the fence I ask - have you read the Uluru Statement from the Heart? Please do. It takes about 5 minutes. It is an elegant document, poetic, beautiful, with a sense of how deeply urgent this issue is. It is a document that will be taught in school history classes of the future. Please pay some respect to 65,000 years of Indigenous history - with 5 minutes of your time.
And if you have read it, please read it again. Ask your children to read it aloud at the family dinner table. Read it in your work places, at staff meetings. Read it with your friends in the park, on the beach, around a fire. For this document speaks to the soul, the heart and the mind.
This referendum represents a threshold moment for our country. A moment in time that should not be divisive or threatening, but rather an invitation to work more constructively together. A threshold moment in which we will honour the old people and help create bright futures for our children. In the words of Oodgeroo, let us hope for a “glad tomorrow”.