Surf Coast Shire Council has declared it would support the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice to Parliament.
Mayor Liz Pattison said Council supported Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people’s rights to advise Parliament on the policies and projects that impact their lives.
“We believe this is a timely and just path to take,” she said.
“The Voice to Parliament has arisen from the Uluru Statement from the Heart, which is a letter to the Australian people from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.
“It calls for three main things: An Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice to Parliament enshrined in the Australian Constitution, truth telling and makarrata or treaty.”
Mayor Pattison said Council would not “influence how individuals choose to vote” and that the Voice to Parliament was not a political party policy.
“We’re the only country that has yet to acknowledge its First Nations people in their Constitution,” she said.
“Our commitment to Reconciliation and self-determination, combined with community expectations, means it is important that Council takes a public stance in supporting The Voice.”
Councillor Kate Gazzarad said Council was not “supporting any particular campaign” in the Voice but instead wanted to raise issues that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people face.
“This is our support for First Nations people and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people as the first people of Australia and allowing them to have a say in what happens to them,” she said.
“We need to speak the truth about the genocide of our First Nations people and walk together to build a better future for all of us.”
A referendum will be held later this year for Australians to vote on whether to update the Constitution to include an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice to Parliament.
