Surf Coast Shire council publicly supports the Voice

THE Surf Coast Shire council has voted to publicy declare its support for the Voice to Parliament, but says it will not explicitly advocate for the “Yes” or “No” case.

At their meeting earlier today (Wednesday, April 26), councillors resolved that they “support constitutional recognition through a Voice to Parliament which will be a body enshrined in the Constitution that will enable Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples to provide advice to the Parliament on policies and projects that impact their lives”.

The motion also committed the council to “sharing clear, unambiguous information with the community, enabling residents to make a considered and informed choice in the referendum”.

According to the officers’ report, the council is “committed to Reconciliation and therefore sees that it is important to declare a position on the Voice”.

“Council will not however seek to influence how individuals choose to vote.”

The officers suggest activities the council could now do could include:

• Publicly support the enshrinement of an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice to parliament in the Australian Constitution
• Share information about the Voice using its communication channels
• Share information about participating in the referendum through our communication channels
• Share information from campaigns which are led by First Nations people, and
• Support the development of community-led Reconciliation Groups within its community for residents by connecting interested residents to such groups if
  requests are received, which would allow for connection and learning about all First Nations matters.

However, the officers’ report also lays out a list of things the council would not do:

• Support any political party campaign to either support or object to the Voice
• Lead a campaign encouraging residents to vote Yes in the referendum
• Run information sessions for residents with the exception of Reconciliation Week, where information sessions may be run as part of the event activities, or
• Share information from any political party unless it relates directly to the specific wording of the proposed legislation or the proposed question, or instructions for residents on how to participate in the referendum process.

Cr Kate Gazzard and Cr Mike Bodsworth successfully moved the motion.

Cr Gazzard said racism was the process in which systems, policies, actions and attitudes created ineqitable outcomes for people based on race.

“And I don’t think the Voice coming to Parliament will impinge on any non-Aboriginal Australian’s rights; I think that’s an important point.”

In response to questions from Cr Heather Wellington, shire chief executive officer Robyn Seymour said the shire and the council would “support people to make informed decisions themselves” and “not just provide information from First Nations people who support the Voice, necessarily”.

Ms Seymour said the Eastern Maar Aboriginal Corporation had been consulted about the council’s motion and expressed no objection.

Cr Wellington said she agreed with many of the arguments in support of the Voice made by her fellow councillors, including the suggestion to read the Uluru Statement from the Heart, but the matter was not the council’s role or the council’s business.

“I just look at this and think ‘This is a Constitutional matter; are we serious?’ We don’t even have a vote [on the Constitution] as a council; there is no vote. But we as individuals all have views on this and we’re using our position on council to promote personal views, which obviously have strong validity, but there are other views with strong validity.

“I know there will be a lot of people in my ward and potentially across the shire who are wondering what on earth the council is doing.”

Cr Paul Barker was similarly opposed to the motion – “Why we’re even contemplating it is absurd,” he said.

“If this motion is passed, I can guarantee it that will invoke serious and widespread opposition from our community that will only further divide us at a time that we should be uniting more against the real enemy of the people; government.”