Community invited to free referendum forum

A COMMUNITY meeting in the Geelong region later this month could be the first of many local conversations to drive up support for the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice to Parliament and why people should vote “yes” so it can be established.

Activism about the Voice has been increasing since mid-March, when the federal government announced the wording of the question people would answer in the referendum, which will be held between October and December.

Locally, a public referendum forum will be held in Torquay on April 27 to explain what the proposed federal advisory body means and why it is important.

Speakers at the free event will include Wadawurrung woman and Traditional Owner Corrina Eccles; Torres Strait Islander, Finding the Heart of the Nation: The Journey of the Uluru Statement from the Heart Continues author and advocate Thomas Mayo; Geelong MP and state Parliamentary Secretary for First Peoples Christine Couzens; and Corangamite federal member Libby Coker.

“This is an opportunity to correct history, and this is an opprtunity to find out more, and make an informed decision for people’s votes,” forum MC Hutch Hussein said.

“Because this is a once-in-a-generation opportunity, this referendum – we’ve learnt about the history and the really dark wrongs that have happened, and this is an opportunity to right that wrong and to make sure that the Aboriginal people are recognised in our Constitution, and that we give due recognition.

“All the things that we know are happening in Aboriginal communities have happened because they haven’t been involved in those decisions; the Voice is about giving people an opporunity on what impacts them.

“It’s listening to the Indigenous community who are saying to us ‘This is what we want’ – there’s been 12 years of consultation and this has been driven by the Indigeneous communities themselves, so it’s time for us to listen.”

Despite recent happenings in the major parties at the federal level regarding the Voice, Ms Hussein said this event was being driven by community members, not partisan politics.

She said the Victoria-wide group Together, Yes had been given funding to train people to have “kitchen table” conversations about the Voice, with training sessions being held in Geelong.

“I think that’s what changes minds; people finding out that fundamentally this is not something that’s going to take anything away from you, this is something that’s going to enhance it.”

She said 45 per cent of the seats at the 200-seat forum had been taken within a week.

“We’ve heard of similar events in Melbourne that were standing room only.

“We’re confident that we’ll fill the forum, because there’s a thirst for knowledge.”

Photographer Ferne Millen has worked closely with the region’s Traditional Owners including Ms Eccles on the Journey on Wadawurrung Country project.

“There’s a reduced capacity to be able to provide a Voice at every level of every nation, because they’re only finding their own way back to their own family, so one Voice is actually representative of a collective voice of people,” she said.

“It’s not just an immediate outcome, it’s finding our way and they’re finding their way. It doesn’t mean that we fix everything straight away, it’s going to take time… but it has to start somewhere.”

The referendum forum will be held at Grant Pavilion, Yallock Crescent, Torquay on April 27, with a Welcome to Country from 7pm and a 7.30pm start.

For more information or to book, head to the Surf Coast Votes Yes page on Facebook – where the forum will also be livestreamed – or email [email protected]