VCOSS backs First Nations Voice

VCOSS backs First Nations Voice

The Uluru Statement From The Heart contains a clear request for allyship.

It invites all Australians to “walk with” Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people towards a better future.

The Victorian Council of Social Service gratefully and enthusiastically accepts this invitation.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people have an unbroken and unbreakable connection to the lands of modern Australia.

They have shaped, nurtured and nourished it for an indeterminate time. With this enduring connection comes knowledge and wisdom. That sovereign custodianship continues today, and forever.

It’s therefore right to formally embed a First Nations Voice in the tapestry of Australia’s social and political institutions.

This is a crucial step towards reconciliation and self-determination for Indigenous people in Australia.

It will be a powerful way for the nation to acknowledge the unique position held by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, and to ensure First Nations views and aspirations are properly heard in all decision making.

Enshrining this Voice in the Constitution will ensure it is never silenced.

VCOSS will support Aboriginal communities and organisations — where welcome and appropriate — as they work to realise this meaningful change.

We will do so while also supporting Treaty and truth telling in Victoria.

We urge all Victorians to vote in support of the Voice. 

         —  The Victorian Council of Social Service