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Top Libs enlisted to Help Yes Vote

Article by Joe Hildebrand for Sky News, 20 May 2023… Yesterday’s revelation of former Victorian Liberal party chief Simon Frost joining the Yes campaign shows, this is a proposal that also has the support of huge numbers of whipsmart conservatives.

As well as Frost this includes former top Liberal adviser and Sky News host Chris Kenny, conservative constitutional lawyer and former Australian Catholic University vice-chancellor Greg Craven, former Indigenous Affairs Minister Ken Wyatt and former shadow attorney- general Julian Leeser — the latter two of which resigned from the Liberal party and Liberal front bench in dismay at the party’s position.

… Except that none of it matters. None of it matters unless ordinary people feel that stirring in their hearts that makes them think “Yes”, this is fair enough. Yes, this is not much to ask.

Rugby Australia back The Voice

Rugby Australia’s board have announced its support for the Indigenous Voice to Parliament.

“The Voice is not about division. It’s about union,” it reads.

“…The bottom line is that our Constitution still doesn’t recognise the First Peoples of Australia or give them the voice they deserve,” reads RA’s 511-word statement. “The playing field could still be more level. If we’re ever going to achieve true union as a nation, we must take every opportunity we have to close the gap which still separates so many of us. Provision for an Indigenous Voice to Parliament in our Constitution is long overdue.

NRL back the Voice

The National Rugby League is the latest major sporting code to back the Indigenous voice to parliament, joining a growing list of elite athletic organisations campaigning for a yes vote in this year’s referendum.

As the two major football codes hold their Indigenous rounds in coming weeks, a long-mooted campaign of support from sporting groups is expected to intensify toward a referendum likely to be held in October – shortly after the AFL and NRL grand finals.

Legal experts weigh in on Indigenous Voice to Parliament referendum question

This article is by Professor Paula Gerber and Dr Katie O’Brien, the Castan Centre for Human Rights Law, Monash University.

Now that we have the wording of the constitutional amendment and the referendum question, it is important to consider what these words actually mean and whether there is anything in the proposed text that we should be worried about.
How is the constitution going to be amended?
Why is the question so brief?
What is the significance of the inclusion of executive government?
Why should parliament get to decide the composition, functions, powers, and procedures of the Voice?
How much input did Indigenous people have into the final wording?

Read more by clicking on the heading above.

State ceremony for the First Nations Voice to Parliament

On Sunday 27 March 2023, South Australia became the first state in Australia to have a First Nations Voice to Parliament. A Special Parliamentary Sitting and State Ceremony was held on Sunday 27 March 2023 to acknowledge the First Nations Voice Bill 2023.