SENATOR Patrick Dodson is coming to Ballarat next week.<\/p>\n
Members of the public are invited to hear the Yawuru man speak at the Ballaarat Mechanics\u2019 Institute on Wednesday, 15 March at 4pm, as part of an \u2018in conversation\u2019 event.<\/p>\n
Senator Dodson is the Federal Government\u2019s special envoy for reconciliation and implementation of the Uluru Statement from the Heart, and is from Broome in Western Australia.<\/p>\n
The talk has been organised by the office of the Member for Ballarat, Catherine King, in the lead-up to a planned referendum about recognising First Nations peoples in the constitution through an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice to Parliament.<\/p>\n
\u201cSenator Dodson has dedicated his life to advocating for constructive relationships between Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples based on mutual respect, understanding and dialogue,\u201d said a statement from the MP\u2019s office.<\/p>\n
He will be interviewed by Adnyamathanha Yura man and Ballarat and District Aboriginal Co-operative manager of the cultural and therapeutic support programming Shu Brown, and they will cover the referendum, what a Voice to Parliament would mean, and how it would impact the community.<\/p>\n