The Newcastle community has been called to champion constitutional change and come together to support a First Nations Voice in the Australian Constitution.
At Tuesday’s Ordinary Council Meeting, councillors endorsed a Notice of Motion supporting the Uluru Statement from the Heart, which calls for real and practical change in Australia through the establishment of a constitutionally enshrined Voice to Parliament.
It proposes a referendum to be held in the next term of the Federal Parliament.
Lord Mayor Nuatali Nelmes said now was the time to work together to bring about meaningful change.
“City of Newcastle are proud of Newcastle’s rich Indigenous heritage and established the Guraki Aboriginal Advisory Committee to ensure that acknowledgment of the original custodians of our land is embedded in all that we do at the council,” Cr Nelmes said.
“We wholeheartedly support the Uluru Statement from the Heart and its call for a constitutionally recognised voice that would enable Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people to advise Parliament on policies and projects that impact their lives.”
She said City of Newcastle would hold public forums in partnership with Guraki, Local Government NSW and From the Heart to raise awareness and inspire further conversations on indigenous issues, which was “crucial to Australia becoming a unified nation reconciled with its history”.
City of Newcastle’s advocacy comes after Torres Strait Islander man and advocate for the Uluru Statement from the Heart, Thomas Mayor, visited Newcastle on March 10 to garner community support for the cause.
Mayor told NovoNews that Indigenous leaders would work with whichever party won the federal election to achieve a referendum.
He said the Uluru Statement represented a historic consensus of Indigenous leaders seeking constitutional change and structural reforms.
“The Uluru Statement is a culmination of many lessons throughout the history of colonisation about how Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples can be recognised and empowered in this country,” Mayor said.
“It’s a statement that covers this history in a really eloquent and powerful way and describes what is ultimately the torment of our powerlessness, our structural exclusion and the decisions that are made for us.”
Mayor said the Uluru Statement invited Australians to assist their Indigenous peers in enshrining a First Nations Voice to Parliament and establishing a Makarrata Constitution for “truth-telling and agreement-making”.
“It would mean First Nations people would be a part of decision-making at all levels of government,” he said.
“I think all sides of government could agree that when it comes to decisions concerning Indigenous Australians, the best decisions are made when we are involved, so this structural reform would help amplify our voice and guarantee that we are heard.”
Aboriginal woman and councillor for Ward 4 Deahnna Richardson agreed that a Voice to Parliament was the structural reform required to give First Nations people the agency they needed.
“With just over one in four people still undecided about a Voice to Parliament, these are crucial conversations that we need to have,” Cr Richardson said
“It’s been a long time coming. It’s definitely time … but we cannot move forward without a consensus among all Australians.”
Mayor said that polling by Crosby Textor indicated that almost 60 per cent of Australians would vote ‘yes’ in a referendum.
Federal Member for Newcastle, Sharon Claydon, said the Uluru Statement from the Heart was a generous gift to the nation inviting Australians to walk together with First Nations people in a movement to build a better future.
“Fifty-five years ago, the nation backed in the 1967 Referendum to change the Constitution so that the Commonwealth could make laws in respect of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and included them in the consensus,” Claydon said.
“Now we have the chance to make good on the unfinished business that remains.
“The time for a referendum on a First Nations Voice is now, and it’s great to see the City of Newcastle getting involved in the campaign to ensure we get this done.”
Hayley McMahon and Maia O’Connor