Mr Andy Gordon, Acting Principal and Rev. Dr Katherine Rainger, Senior Chaplain

On Saturday, Australians will vote in a referendum to alter the Constitution to recognise the First Peoples of Australia by establishing an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice.

As outlined in the Voice Principles, this body will give independent advice to the Parliament and Government. It will further the self-determination of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples by giving them a greater say on matters that affect them.

As we prepare to vote, it is helpful to return to the question being asked and the changes to the Constitution that are being proposed.

What is the question for the Voice referendum?

The question that will be put to the Australian people at the 2023 referendum will be:

“A Proposed Law: to alter the Constitution to recognise the First Peoples of Australia by establishing an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice.

Do you approve this proposed alteration?”

What is the proposed change to the Constitution?

The proposed law that Australians are being asked to approve at the referendum would insert the following lines into the Constitution:

Chapter IX Recognition of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples
129 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice
In recognition of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as the First Peoples of Australia:
i. There shall be a body, to be called the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice;
ii. The Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice may make representations to the Parliament and the Executive Government of the Commonwealth on matters relating to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples;
iii. The Parliament shall, subject to this Constitution, have power to make laws with respect to matters relating to the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice, including its composition, functions, powers and procedures.

Generous Consideration

As an Anglican school, we recognise the General Synod Standing Committee of the Anglican Church of Australia’s statement, which welcomed the invitation expressed by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in the Uluru Statement from the Heart and urged “all Australians to give generous consideration to the case to vote ‘yes’ in the upcoming referendum concerning constitutional recognition of an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice in the Constitution” (SC2023/1/55, 8 June 2023).

As the Right Reverend Dr Michael Stead, Bishop of South Sydney suggests, generous consideration means accepting the possibilities and potential success of the Voice as the starting point in our decision making.

A statement was made at the 2023 Anglican Schools Australia Conference that affirmed the Uluru Statement from the Heart and the Voice to Parliament.

Previous Bulletin reflections and resources can be found here, here and here.

An analysis of the ‘yes’ and ‘no’ cases can be found here.

Year 12 Forum on the Referendum

Last Tuesday, Year 12 students participated in a forum on the referendum. This was held in Z-Line, the fortnightly period set aside for senior students to discuss current affairs, career advice, and course requirements.

This forum was requested by students who wanted to better understand the issues surrounding the referendum. Tuesday’s forum was a focused look at the proposed referendum question, the debate surrounding the Voice and the history and context of the proposed Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice to Parliament.

Last year, students engaged in a Z-Line session with Aboriginal Christian leader Brooke Prentis, in which she explained the history and content of the Uluru Statement from the Heart so students were well placed for this conversation on the Voice.

Students were given the opportunity to ask questions before, during and after the presentation. The presentation began with the skit created by Vic Zerbst and Jenna Owen featuring the rapper Adam Briggs. The key message for us was “Google it” and engage with the issue at hand.

Students and staff spent some time looking at the wording of the proposed change to the Constitution. In small groups, we discussed the Voice Principles to see how the Voice would be set-up, its function, purpose and safeguards.

Understanding the bipartisan journey and First Nations advocacy on the path to self-determination and constitutional recognition were next on the agenda via shared exploration of the journey so far section of the Uluru Statement website.

We discussed advisory bodies that give advice to the parliament and government, previous bodies which have done the same in Indigenous affairs, and what the referendum in 1967 achieved in terms of amending the ‘race power’ in Section 51 of the Constitution and including Aboriginal people in the census.

Overall, it was a very informative session that covered a lot of ground while reiterating the central proposition of the referendum: recognising Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples through a Voice to advise parliament and government on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander polices and strategy.

Radford Polling Place and BBQ

R.A. Young Hall at Radford College is a polling place for the referendum on Saturday, 14 October, from 8 am-6 pm. We will be running a BBQ and would love to see you there. Please note that the BBQ will only accept card payments as there will be no cash available.