At MercyCare, we are committed to reconciliation, recognising its essential role in achieving our mission of bringing compassion and justice to life and breaking cycles of significant disadvantage. This is a long-term endeavour that requires ongoing commitment from everyone.
MercyCare supports the Uluru Statement from the Heart and an alteration to the Australian Constitution that provides for a representative body that gives Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander First Nations a Voice to the Commonwealth Parliament, recognising the special status of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as the first peoples of Australia.
With the impending referendum for the Voice to Parliament, there are many views and questions on what it is, how it will work and what it will mean for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and the broader Australian community.
We respect everyone’s right to choose how they vote, and believe we have a responsibility in making sure that people have access to the right information to make their own decision.
Here we have compiled a range of resources to help explain the history of the Uluru Statement of the Heart, our Constitution, the 2023 Referendum, what The Voice is and how it works, along with a handful of websites with views for and against the Voice.
Please note: MercyCare is not affiliated with any of these events or involved in the development of the resources.
Events
- An Indigenous Voice to Parliament WEBINAR, Garratt Publicity (Pre-recorded)
- Voice to Parliament: Constitutional and legal implications for Australia, UWA Public Policy Institute (30th August)
- The Voice, the facts – Information Session for the Voice to Parliament, Connecting Foster & Kingship Carers SA Inc (12th September)
- Uluru Statement Community Briefing Sessions, Reconciliation WA (Various)
- Voices: State Library of Western Australia Referendum Panel Conversations, State Library of Western Australia (31st August & 4th October)
- Decoding the Voice to Parliament Referendum: A Q&A Session, Centre for Social Impact UWA (5th September)
- Wellbeing, Self-Determination, and The Voice Referendum, The University of Western Australia (12th September)
- Let’s have a conversation about The Voice, Acknowledge This (25th August & 3rd October)
We have compiled several resources across the Yes and No vote to allow you to learn and create an informed choice for when it comes time to vote on the referendum.
- The Voice (Australian Government) – launched mid-May 2023, explains what it is, what it will do and how it will be set up.
- The About the Uluru Statement of the Heart
- About the 2023 Referendum and our Constitution (Australian Electoral Commission)
- The draft question for the Constitution Alteration (Parliament of Australia)
- Explanatory Memo for the Constitution Alteration (Parliament of Australia)
- Reconciliation Australia
- Reconciliation WA
- 1 Voice Uluru
- Share Our Pride
- What is the Indigenous Voice to Parliament? ABC article
- Indigenous Voice to Parliament: what is it and how would it work? (video)
- Yes23
- Together Yes
- Fair Australia
- Recognise a better way
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