Vote YES for children and future generations

The Uluru Statement from the Heart includes a powerful phrase:

?When we have power over our destiny our children will flourish. They will walk in two worlds and their culture will be a gift to their country.

?This describes beautifully why having the Voice to Parliament is so important.

The Centre supports the Voice to Parliament because it will be of benefit to all Australians, but it will especially benefit our First People’s children and future generations.

It is a show of recognition and respect.

It sends a message that Australia has learnt from past mistakes and that decisions that affect Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities will not be made without consultation with them.

We are not closing the gap fast enough.

And we cannot bring the whole nation along unless we can show that we are united – that we are ONE Australia.

A Voice to Parliament opens conversations on legislation, programs, and services and how they will affect First Nation’s communities. It will make sure that the Government considers the negative consequences and impacts policies might have on communities.

According to data from the Productivity Commission’s Closing the Gap Dashboard, in 2021 just 34.3 per cent of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Island were developmentally on track across all five Australian Early Childhood Development Census domains. Compare this to 56.2 per cent of non-indigenous children who were developmentally on track in 2021.

In out-of-home care measures, 56.8 per 1000 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children aged 0 to 17 years old were in out-of-home care nationally in 2022. In Victoria, the rate was much higher, at 104.8 per 100 children.

Some First Nations families are trapped in systems that were designed for them but largely without their input. These systems are not working. There is so much mistrust and intergenerational trauma, and discrimination, to be addressed before trust can be built.

Close collaboration between the Victorian State Government and our Aboriginal Community Controlled Organisations (ACCOs) resulted in legislation passed in Victoria earlier this year putting ACCO services at the front line for child protection investigations. This means families can find and access the services and support they need. It goes a long way toward building trust in the systems that are reaching out. ?

The Voice is an opportunity to show our commitment to change.

It is an opportunity to show that we are prepared to listen, and that better and more collaborative outcomes are possible.

It will centre First Nations voices in government and move us closer to really closing the gap.

And it’s the right thing to do. It is a show of good faith, recognition, and respect.

It’s YES for collaboration and self-determination, and YES for giving First Nation’s people a say in decisions that affect their communities, lives, and cultures.

Despite the outcome of next week’s referendum, The Centre is committed to listening, supporting, and collaborating closely with First Nations children, young people and families and the growing and hugely successful ACCOs to ensure the best outcomes for children and young people.