Voice to Parliament forum,
17 March 2023
More than 400 people attended this vibrant forum in the City of Unley. View the video of the event via the YouTube link above.
MC and forum host:
Dr. Kim O’Donnell, a Malyangapa / Barkindji woman from Western NSW, works at Flinders and Adelaide Universities researching Indigenous community health and leading change nationally through AKCTION 2 (Aboriginal Kidney Care Together) program. Kim has national and international experience in education, health and governance.
Welcome to Country:
Kelli Owen, a Kaurna, Narungga and Ngarrindjeri woman, with a Masters in Indigenous Languages Education, has held education leadership positions. Currently she is Coordinator of the National Indigenous Kidney Transplantation Task force (NIKTT).
Keynote speaker:
Teela Reid, a Wiradjuri and Wailwan woman, is a Harvard graduate and is First Nations Lawyer in residence at The University of Sydney Law School, while practising in criminal, civil and administrative law. She is also a key advocate for the Uluru Statement from the Heart and recently been appointed to the Federal Government’s Referendum Engagement Group.
Other speakers included:
Dale Agius, a Kaurna, Narungga, Ngadjuri, Ngarrindjeri man, is the inaugural Commissioner for First Nations Voice to the South Australian Parliament. He led state-wide community engagement to inform the development of the Bill to establish SA’s First Nations Voice to the Parliament and is also a member of the Federal Government’s Referendum Engagement Group.
Sally Scales, a Pitjantjatjara signatory of the Uluru Statement from the Heart, works as an artist with the APY Art Centre Collective, and in 2019 was elected Chairperson of the APY Executive Board Council.
Elijah Bravington, also a signatory of the Statement, is an Arabana man with experience in filmmaking, environmental management and community development.
The Uluru Statement from the Heart was signed by 220 First Nations people in 2017 after 12 regional consultations conducted with bipartisan political support. Its agenda is Voice, Treaty and Truth. The statement, and detailed background can be read at: www.ulurustatement.org
Further information at www.fromtheheart.com.au/ one of the key NGOs promoting the Uluru Statement from the Heart.