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AAP
AAP
Politics
Rudi Maxwell and Dominic Giannini

Online yarning circles create space to hear about voice

Lidia Thorpe says Indigenous people should be given every chance to have their say on the voice. (Lukas Coch/AAP PHOTOS) (AAP)

The architects of the Uluru Statement are inviting all Australians to have a yarn about an Indigenous voice to parliament.

Co-chair Pat Anderson said the Uluru Dialogue is hosting a series of online yarning circles, as part of its Start a Yarn initiative.

"Coming along to a yarning circle is one of the best ways to inform yourself on why we are calling for a voice and why the Uluru Statement called for a voice," she said.

The voice was overwhelmingly called for by the First Nations men and women of the regional dialogues, Ms Anderson added.

"The current discourse could lead people to believe this is a government initiative but it's important Australians learn that this concept has come from grassroots First Nations communities who believe it will make a difference to their lives."

The "yarning circle" concept is used by many First Nations peoples across the world, as a space for active listening and reflection.

The online yarning circles give participants the opportunity to hear directly from Indigenous people about the Uluru Statement and the voice to parliament and ask questions about the upcoming referendum.

They will be held between March 21 and April 11.

How the referendum will be run is taking shape.

Legislation outlining the referendum's processes is before the Senate, where the coalition and Greens are seeking changes they say will protect against foreign interference and make the vote fairer.

Labor senator Pat Dodson said both supporters and naysayers are free to fund their own campaigns. (Mick Tsikas/AAP PHOTOS) (AAP)

Liberal senator Jane Hume is pushing to establish official "yes" and "no" campaign organisations to make their cases, and arguing that both should get equal funding.

The opposition has successfully pushed to ensure a printed pamphlet outlining both cases is distributed.

Labor senator Pat Dodson said a funding and disclosure transparency scheme would ensure accountability and mitigate foreign interference risks.

"We are treating both 'yes' and 'no' campaigns even-handedly - zero public funding for both," he said.

"This is the people's referendum. It's for the people to organise their own campaigns and their own funding.

"Both supporters and naysayers are free to fund their own campaigns within the legal constraints of the bill."

The Greens are pushing for measures to boost engagement and access to voting, including on-the-day enrolment and expanding remote polling programs and phone voting.

Former Greens senator turned independent Lidia Thorpe said she was broadly supportive of the machinery changes but took a swipe at the constitutional change itself.

Senator Thorpe said "progressive no" campaigners, who wanted a First Nations treaty instead of constitutional recognition, were being ignored.

But she wants Indigenous people to have the greatest possible chance to have their say.

"If this government is going to claim that this referendum supports self-determination of First Nations people, then it needs to be doing everything it can to ensure as many black fellas vote," she said, pushing for on-the-day enrolment and expanding telephone voting provisions.

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