Local campaign to push for yes vote on voice

A NEW group is seeking volunteers to help distribute information about the yes campaign on the upcoming Indigenous voice to Parliament referendum.

Bendigo for Yes Campaign’s convenor Sue Fricke said the group is working to promote support for the yes vote in collaboration with local Indigenous leaders.

“Our goal as a group is to support the education and information required in the community about the referendum, and to encourage the community to vote yes in the referendum,” she said.

With a goal of having the largest yes vote in the nation, Ms Fricke said the group has about 100 volunteers who mainly help to distribute flyers and engage in conversations with people.

“A referendum doesn’t happen very often for us, I think our job very much is to provide opportunities and place and space for people who don’t know yet to get the information they need to help them make a decision,” she said.

“People who are firmly in the no camp, I’d like to think they’d be open to a conversation to perhaps learn more, and maybe consider their position.

“We’re not out here to really change people’s minds in a forceful way, we’re very much a hopeful, respectful, optimistic campaign that just really wants to engage and help people understand the importance of this opportunity.”

While Ms Fricke said she thinks the question and outcome posed by the voice referendum is not a “perfect solution” and doesn’t go far enough, she said the group wants to “capitalise on whatever we can”.

She also said she’ll continue to work after the referendum for Indigenous empowerment regardless of the vote’s result.

Late last month Dja Dja Wurrung Corporation staff released a statement that said the group supports the yes vote, with CEO Rodney Carter saying the referendum will draw attention to matters “that are important to us and to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people at a Federal level.”

“In the past, we were left out of many conversations directly related to our wellbeing,” said Mr Carter.

“Here in central Victoria, Djaara (Dja Dja Wurrung people) are strong believers in ‘for Djaara, by Djaara’ when it comes to issues that affect us.”