Having a say and self-determination: rights foundational to recognition through a Voice. What happened?

By Bridget Cama , Uluru Youth Dialogue Co-Chair?

This week marks the 17th anniversary of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP). While Australia wasn’t originally on board, it?endorsed?the Declaration in 2009, two years after it was?adopted by the General Assembly of the United Nations.

The?basic norm?of the UNDRIP is Indigenous Peoples’ right to self-determination. This includes the right to political participation; the right?of?Indigenous Peoples to?have a say?in decisions?that affect them. These?rights?were the foundation of?constitutional recognition through a Voice in the Uluru Statement from the Heart. A simple and modest ask?to be heard when decisions are made that affect us.?

This year I?had the opportunity to attend?United Nations meetings on?Indigenous?Peoples?issues.?Australia and the failed Voice?Referendum?attracted much?global?attention?and many people,?Indigenous and non-Indigenous, from many different countries asked,?“what happened”.?

While?there is much discussion occurring at an international level post?Referendum…?in Australia it feels like the?country has moved on. But we are mourning.?Our communities are?hurt?by the result.?I, along with many young people, our communities and the 6.2 million Aussies who voted yes are not ready to move on from the Uluru Statement, constitutional recognition?or?a Voice.?

But while we are mourning,?we have been laying down the?groundwork for what’s next.?

As a young Aboriginal woman who worked closely on the campaign?for a Voice?with?the Uluru Dialogue under the leadership of Professor?Megan Davis?and Pat Anderson AO, it has taken me some time to understand what happened last year and why Australia said?‘no’. I have listened. I have read. I have analysed.?I have researched. I needed to do this for me personally, to understand where I fit in in my own country.?

But?I?also needed to?know?what?to?tell my?little sister?and?four-year-old son. I needed to know how to explain to them they still matter?and?deserve a better and brighter future, regardless of the result.

Although it felt like the country hated us on 14 October 2023, when the?‘no’?was confirmed all but 10 minutes into the counting of ballot papers, it’s clear from the research and post-Referendum analysis that racism and hate isn’t the?reason we lost. It isn’t the sole reason why?most?Australians voted no, nor?is?the?lack of bipartisanship or?the model.?

We aren’t going to let others pull the wool over your eyes – we are going to tell the story of what really happened.?? ??

We are going to tell the story of the status quo – that communities still don’t have clean drinking water, that Aboriginal women continue to be left out of critical national conversations about gendered violence, that governments and ministers continue to make decisions about us without us and ignore our right to self-determination and?having a?voice. This is why we will continue to walk with our fellow Australians in this movement.?

Although some?suggested the Voice to?Parliament was?strictly an Aboriginal issue, it was never just about us.?It was the government?who asked Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander People in 2011 whether we wanted to be recognised in the Australian Constitution. We were asked what meaningful recognition meant to us. We took this question seriously and in turn issued the invitation of the Uluru Statement from the Heart to the Australian people.

I encourage all Australians, if you haven’t yet, to read the Uluru Statement. It is a roadmap to peace and most importantly, about inclusion and belonging to this country we all call home. The Voice Referendum was about all Australians having the opportunity to have a say in what the future of this country could look like. It was about who we are as a country and what we stand for – a fair go. Unfortunately, that got?lost?in a?lot of political point-scoring and lies?to?confuse everyday?Australians.

The?“No” campaign?used?fear?to?keep?us?where they needed us – boxed?in and at their hands.?Well, I’m done with that.

I am adamant today more than ever that structural reform is what is needed to achieve a better future for our nation – a future that as a young person, I along with my children and yours, and future generations to come, will inherit.?? ??

This isn’t over,?the Referendum was one obstacle.?I implore the Australian people to not let another anniversary?go?by without change. It?is?the responsibility of all Australians to care about this issue. Stand up and use the voice you have in this country. It’s powerful.?Continue to use your voice, to have ours, heard.?

I will continue to share the invitation of the Uluru Statement?from the Heart and its call for hope and belonging. And in doing so, I will continue to fight for a better future for our nation, encouraging all Australians to join us in this movement.

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