Voice to Parliament

The movement for constitutional recognition of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders has grown larger since the National First Nations Constitutional Convention at Uluru in 2017, where Indigenous delegates drafted and signed the ‘Uluru Statement From the Heart’. The Statement called for Voice, Treaty and Truth, which was endorsed by the Referendum Council. Australians will vote at a referendum this year to decide whether to give Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples a Voice to Parliament. In Australia’s history, 44 changes to the Constitution have been proposed, with 8 changes being agreed to by the public. In 1967, the question to change the Constitution to count Indigenous people in the national population and to allow the Commonwealth to make laws for them had bipartisan support and was met with a 90.77% yes vote. But today, parties are split on the issue of voice and are running opposing campaigns. If the referendum is successful, a new constitutionally enshrined body will be established to represent Indigenous Australians’ views on policy and legislation at the federal level. This webinar, hosted by the Australian Political Studies Association, will feature three prominent scholars to help us understand the implications this referendum has for democracy, governance, and Indigenous-settler relations in Australia.

Speakers

A/Prof Harry Hobbs (University of Technology Sydney)

Mr James Blackwell (Australian National University)

Dr Janine Gertz (University of New South Wales)

Moderator

A/Prof Mark Chou (Australian Catholic University and APSA Vice President)

Dr Bartholomew Stanford (Charles Darwin University and APSA First Peoples’ Politics Forum Representative)