The 2022 federal election delivered record results for First Nations representation in parliament.
Ahead of the referendum, the ABC contacted the 11 politicians with the same questions to hear directly from them what they think about a constitutionally enshrined Voice to Parliament.
Labor MP Linda Burney
Electorate: Barton, NSW
Do you support a Voice to Parliament?
Yes. The Voice is an idea whose time has come. The Uluru Statement from the Heart is an historic First Nations consensus on the way forward in Australia. The product of 12 regional dialogues with more than 1,200 Indigenous representatives from across Australia. The Uluru Statement is a generous invitation to the Australian people to walk with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians to a better future. The Voice referendum is the first crucial step in that journey.
What would a Voice to Parliament mean to you?
I have spent my life working in Indigenous affairs and I genuinely believe that this is the best chance to address the injustices of the past and create structural change that will deliver a better future. The Voice is fundamentally about improving the lives of Indigenous Australians. It's about drawing a line on the long history of failed policies and programs in Indigenous affairs. It's about making sure that the voices of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians are heard on the matters that affect them.
There are 11 Aboriginal MPs and senators. What role would another body play that isn't already being voiced in the parliament?
I absolutely celebrate the fact there are currently 11 First Nations MPs and senators — that's a good thing. But there is no guarantee this will remain the same in the next term or the term after that. My friend Ken Wyatt, who sadly lost his seat at the last election, was the first-ever Indigenous member of the House of Representatives and he was elected in 2010 — so there were no Indigenous MPs for the first 109 years of federation. Structural change is needed to ensure First Nations people are always heard on the policies that affect them, and that will deliver better outcomes as a result.
What do you say to people who disagree with your position on a Voice to Parliament?
I would say the Voice is a momentous but simple change to recognise Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians through a Voice. Have an open heart and imagine the possibilities of what this could mean — a better future for all Australians. I have enormous faith in the Australian people that they will see the Voice referendum as a unifying moment for this country.
Symbolically, what role would a Voice to Parliament play?
In asking Australians, "Do you support an alteration to the constitution that establishes an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice?" we are asking the Australian people to say yes to a simple and practical principle: that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people have a say in the policies and decisions that affect their lives. It will be a unifying moment, like the 1967 referendum, that will take Australia forward, for everyone.
Labor MP Gordon Reid
Electorate: Robertson, NSW
Do you support a Voice to Parliament?
Yes, I do support a Voice to Parliament. I believe that an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice to Parliament will achieve practical outcomes for First Nations communities. This is a once-in-a-generation opportunity, an opportunity to recognise our Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander brothers and sisters in our constitution, to ensure the Australian community is truly a place of equity, a place of equality and a place for all.
What would a Voice to Parliament mean to you?
As a Wiradjuri man living on Darkinjung country, a Voice to Parliament is essential. It will ensure that we, as a united country, address the injustices of the past and create meaningful structural change to deliver a better future. This is our best chance to come together as one, to rise as one, and move into the future as one. As a nation, we need practical measures that will address the issues affecting First Nations communities – and that is what the Voice will do. It will give local people, local communities, a say in areas that will directly affect them.
There are 11 Aboriginal MPs and senators. What role would another body play that isn't already being voiced in the parliament?
Importantly, this is an opportunity to recognise our Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander brothers and sisters in our constitution. Comprised of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, the Voice will be an advisory body, it will have the capacity to make representations to government on the issues and legislation that affect First Nations communities so that we have policy tailored to meet the needs of First Nations people. While there have been several First Nations MPs and senators elected to the Australian parliament at the recent federal election, this may change. The Voice will ensure there is a First Nations voice into the future.
Furthermore, every person in the country has different circumstances and different life experiences. This is also true within the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities. Thus, it is important to have input from different parts of the First Nations community about the laws that will affect them. It will be in fact, not just one voice, it will be the voice of many, coming together as one. Moreover, this is not another chamber of government, it does not have the power to veto, it will be a body, providing advice to those creating the legislation.
What do you say to people who disagree with your position on a Voice to Parliament?
Some of the issues that are affecting First Nations people are not improving, and the gap is widening. If we continue down the same path, we will continue to get more of the same. We need to come together, as one community, to improve and strengthen quality of life, health and education outcomes for First Nations communities.
Symbolically, what role would a Voice to Parliament play?
The Voice to Parliament is not merely a symbolic gesture. It is constitutional recognition. It is an advisory body made up of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians who will give advice to government on issues that affect their communities, their lives. This is an opportunity and a time for unity.
Labor MP Marion Scrymgour
Electorate: Lingiari, NT
Do you support a Voice to Parliament?
I support the Voice to Parliament 100 per cent. If you look at the Uluru Statement from the Heart you will see my signature on it.
What would a Voice to Parliament mean to you?
A Voice to Parliament represents a long-overdue shift in how our government interacts with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. It means local Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander voices are heard, it means better policy outcomes for some of the most disadvantaged people in the country, and it means our First Nations people will finally get to be recognised in our constitution.
There are 11 Aboriginal MPs and senators. What role would another body play that isn't already being voiced in the parliament?
It is important to distinguish that the 11 Aboriginal MPs and senators represent all constituents in their electorate and do not have a sole focus on Indigenous issues, just like all other representatives of parliament. Just because I am Aboriginal doesn't mean I only speak for Aboriginal people — I have to represent local businesses, farmers, multicultural communities, non-Indigenous people, the whole of Lingiari. The Voice to Parliament will be a body that advises directly on issues that affect Indigenous people and be represented by First Nations from the grassroots."
What do you say to people who disagree with your position on a Voice to Parliament?
The Voice to Parliament is about justice. It is about recognising our Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander mob are disadvantaged in the current system, and that as the First Australians on this land, they deserve to be recognised in the constitution. It is about recognising the oldest living culture in the world in a meaningful and respectful way.
The Voice isn't threatening or intimidating to non-Indigenous Australians, it's a way for all Australians to be more respectful to one another and have a greater understanding of the struggles that we face in this country."
Symbolically, what role would a Voice to Parliament play?
The Voice to Parliament is unfinished business in this country. For centuries, our Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander leaders and our ancestors have fought tooth and nail for our voices to be heard and for constitutional reform. You see it in the Barunga Statement, in the Yirrkala Bark Petitions. Symbolically it will represent that finally, after decades of struggle, our voices are going to be heard.
Liberal senator Kerrynne Liddle
Electorate: South Australia
Do you support a Voice to Parliament?
I support recognition of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples in the Australian constitution. I have not yet met an Australian who does not support that. The Voice is the second element and not sufficiently explained as yet.
What would a Voice to Parliament mean to you?
Constitutional recognition is not about me but about all Australians. Constitutional recognition is important for recognition in the nation's document.
There are 11 Aboriginal MPs and senators. What role would another body play that isn't already being voiced in the parliament?
Government and members of parliament should be using the mechanisms already available to them to hear from experts in relevant sectors and communities. There is a parliamentary committee process already, elected representatives should be accessible to constituents whomever they are, and all parliamentarians should be engaging with peak bodies and communities that already exist to inform their decisions and actions. If there is a Voice, these things should continue to inform MPs.
What do you say to people who disagree with your position on a Voice to Parliament?
I ask: What do you understand about the Voice that convinces you it will make the change that is being promised by the Albanese government and those that support it and seek your vote? My experience to date is that they usually can't explain other than slogan statements.
Symbolically, what role would a Voice to Parliament play?
See answer two. It is important there is constitutional recognition in the nation's document.
Country Liberal senator Jacinta Nampijinpa Price
Electorate: Northern Territory
Do you support a Voice to Parliament?
No
What would a Voice to Parliament mean to you?
A Voice to Parliament would not give equality within Aboriginal Australia.
Given the most powerful heads of Aboriginal organisations come from privileged backgrounds and the issue of concern which is never addressed — that marginalised Aboriginal Australians continue to not be understood or heard with this Voice to Parliament. A level playing field would not exist amongst Aboriginal Australians and would be dangerous to enshrine within our constitution.
There are 11 Aboriginal MPs and senators. What role would another body play that isn't already being voiced in the parliament?
The nepotism and lateral violence are already present in our existing structures and that is what needs to be confronted, reviewed and addressed because that's where much of the dysfunction lies when addressing Indigenous issues. It is not just governments that have failed to close the gap, but it is the multi-million-dollar Aboriginal organisations that have been funded to close the gap with little to no accountability. The Voice lends itself to duplicating this structure but then existing within our constitution where it can never be dismantled.
What do you say to people who disagree with your position on a Voice to Parliament?
It would undermine and devalue the 11 democratically elected members of parliament currently sitting. This is evident [in]Tom Calma's comments referencing the Voice in his acceptance speech of his Australia Day Senior Australian of the Year award. [The] quote from Mr Calma's speech [is]: "But First Nations parliamentarians cannot, nor should they be expected, to present all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander voices in Australia. They answer to all of their constituents and they are an instrument of their political parties."
What do you say to people who disagree with your position on a Voice to Parliament?
People should not follow blindly anyone or anybody that suggests that all Aboriginal people think the same and Aboriginal people should be respected in their own right. This suggests that most Australians are in favour of this proposal or that it's not about making others feel better about being non-Indigenous in regards to our nation's history. Australians need to make sure they are well informed and understand Indigenous Australians who do not support this proposal and not be duped into thinking this is the magic wand to close the gap.
It needs to be understood that 30 per cent of the NT's population being Indigenous and marginalised [means], ultimately, [our voice] does not count towards the referendum. But yet, this proposal claims to represent and address the issues faced by the most marginalised Australians.
Symbolically, what role would a Voice to Parliament play?
It's a transfer of ultimate power to those who have been responsible yet unaccountable to the ongoing failures of the Aboriginal industry.
Greens senator Dorinda Cox
Electorate: Western Australia
Do you support a Voice to Parliament?
Yes, I support the Voice to Parliament and I also support all elements of the Uluru Statement from the Heart and that includes truth and treaty.
What would a Voice to Parliament mean to you?
A Voice to Parliament to me would essentially mean an injection into the democracy. It will enable us to talk about First Nations' issues in more detail. Currently, there isn't a party or an individual in fact in the parliament that is able to articulate or keep or maintain the momentum in Indigenous affairs at the speed that we need it. We have 230 years of work to do and so it's important that we create a level of democracy that is truly representative of the diversity of issues, views and solutions to the problems that we have particularly in Indigenous affairs.
There are 11 Aboriginal MPs and senators. What role would another body play that isn't already being voiced in the parliament?
I think a real key part of what the Voice should represent is grassroots democracy. It is and will enable those voices to come from a local, regional and state perspective into a federal Voice to Parliament, and I think that that is critical when we're talking about enabling these issues to be unpacked for us to understand the policy detail but also the political levers in relation to legislation. So I think it's really important and critical that having a Voice to Parliament alongside both truth and treaty will enable us to look at the issue of self-determination and enshrining that, both within the Voice, truth-telling and within treaty processes, but also enable us to maintain sovereignty, and so I think that this is a really important mechanism and I would like to say that we build this mechanism, co-designed, co-developed and co-managed alongside communities.
What do you say to people who disagree with your position on a Voice to Parliament?
We've lived in 230 years of denial, and we have an opportunity and this is an opportunity that only presents itself once in a lifetime. What I want from this process is to be able to see my children being able to use their voices and for them to be heard [on] the issues that matter to them. I think what this opportunity does for us is provides a democratic process if we get the model or the framework right in order to maintain that. So it's an ever-evolving piece of work. But we have to make sure that we are setting this and grounding it in the principles of culture, law, kinship, country, and also language. You know, we have to make sure that all of those elements are intrinsically linked together, which essentially will couple itself with the Western democratic system.
Symbolically, what role would a Voice to Parliament play?
A Voice to Parliament would essentially be a restoration of both voices and agency within the parliament and we cannot essentially see Voice standing alone. It is part of the Uluru Statement From The Heart, and its linkage in and across to truth and treaty is about restoring what we've lost, what we've lost in a process of denial of colonisation, and of colonialism that continues today. So for me, the important parts of truth will also restore dignity, and dignity will ensure that we are reclaiming agency, but also that we restore access. Access to negotiations for our treaties and access to be able to enshrine our rights right across all of the different elements of the work that we're going to do in what I see to be a decade of change.
Labor senator Patrick Dodson
Electorate: Western Australia
Do you support a Voice to Parliament?
I wholeheartedly support a Voice to Parliament and full implementation of the Uluru Statement from the Heart.
What would a Voice to Parliament mean to you?
To me, it would mean that the country has finally accepted that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples are unique and should be recognised in our constitution. Also, that we have been adversely impacted by past policies and will be able to have a say in matters that affect us.
There are 11 Aboriginal MPs and senators. What role would another body play that isn't already being voiced in the parliament?
Aboriginal parliamentarians are members of different political parties, and our allegiances mostly align with the policies and platforms of those parties. We have been elected to represent our electorates or states. We have no remit or obligation to represent Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander people specifically. The present 11 Aboriginal MPs and senators have been elected from five of Australia's six states and from one of two territories. That means that Queensland and Australian Capital Territory have no Indigenous parliamentarians. Even if all states and territories did return Indigenous parliamentarians, their presence would not be permanent. The permanence of a Voice, geographically and demographically representative of all Indigenous peoples, would be protected in our constitution.
What do you say to people who disagree with your position on a Voice to Parliament?
I would say that as unique and original members of this country who have unresolved issues with the nation-state, it is only right that our views should be heard and respected. However, all electors are entitled to their own views, which I hope would be settled after careful consideration of all other points of view.
Symbolically, what role would a Voice to Parliament play?
I acknowledge that those who gathered at Uluru in May 2017 rejected any recognition in our constitution that would be merely symbolic. Symbolism does have a place, but I am more interested in securing practical and beneficial outcomes which the Voice will achieve. Having said that, a referendum that delivers a Voice protected by our constitution would be a powerful message to a watching world that Australia is set on a new direction that will uplift us all and improve the lives of Indigenous peoples.
Labor senator Malarndirri McCarthy
Electorate: Northern Territory
Do you support a Voice to Parliament?
I'm supporting a Voice to Parliament because I want to see more Indigenous Australians live longer, healthier, and happier lives. The Voice will be a practical tool for Indigenous Australians to have a say on the matters that affect them and their families, so better policies can be made to help close the gap.
What would a Voice to Parliament mean to you?
As a Yanyuwa Garrawa woman from Gulf Country in the Northern Territory, I have seen and experienced firsthand how bad policies have failed Indigenous communities who have not been listened to, especially in the bush. The Voice will allow more remote and regional communities to have a say on the policies that affect them and amplify the concerns and ideas of women and young people in the bush, towns and cities.
There are 11 Aboriginal MPs and senators. What role would another body play that isn't already being voiced in the parliament?
The Voice to Parliament is about giving a platform to Indigenous Australians and communities, not politicians. Listening to the independent advice of communities will help deliver practical change on the ground — in areas like health, education, jobs and housing.
What do you say to people who disagree with your position on a Voice to Parliament?
It's great that we live in a democracy and we can agree to disagree on matters, as long as it's done respectfully. I would encourage opponents and sceptics of the Voice to continue having conversations and asking questions.
Symbolically, what role would a Voice to Parliament play?
The Voice to Parliament gives hope for a better future for our young people to achieve their full potential. The referendum will be a unifying moment for Australia, taking this country forward for everyone.
Labor senator Jana Stewart
Electorate: Victoria
Do you support a Voice to Parliament?
Absolutely I support a Voice to Parliament. I think it represents the greatest opportunity for reconciliation our country will see certainly in my lifetime and in my children's lifetime.
What would a Voice to Parliament mean to you?
A Voice to Parliament to me would mean better outcomes for First Nations people across our country. It's a seat at the table for Aboriginal and Torres Strait islander people in a way that we haven't had before. Where we've seen First Nations people have a seat at the table, we've actually seen outcomes dramatically improve for First Nations people. There are so many examples of that across Victoria. And this is really an opportunity to replicate that across the nation and to not only build on that work, but continue to come up with new and creative ways of working as real partners in wanting to improve the lives and outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people across the country.
There are 11 Aboriginal MPs and senators. What role would another body play that isn't already being voiced in the parliament?
I don't see the role of First Nations MPs as being the same as a Voice to Parliament. I'm incredibly proud to be a member of parliament that has the highest number of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in history. I think that's an incredible achievement and one that I hope we can only build on going into the future. But as elected representatives, we are elected to represent the entirety of our constituency, which includes often non-Aboriginal people, it includes multicultural and linguistically diverse communities, so our focus often isn't just on First Nations communities, and we've seen the challenges that our communities are experiencing across the country that really deserve and need a dedicated voice in a way that we haven't had before. And if I'm completely honest, the things that we've tried in the past over successive governments — this isn't a partisan point — just haven't worked. So I'm really keen to be a part of a country that is brave enough to try something different.
What do you say to people who disagree with your position on a Voice to Parliament?
I would say this isn't my position. This is an invitation from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people from across the country. This isn't a political position or policy that Labor has come up with overnight. This invitation from the Uluru Statement from the Heart, communities and First Nations communities across the country, has come from a combination of multiple conversations over years and years, and Labor have accepted that invitation from the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community. And now we're going to be taking that invitation to the Australian people via a referendum later on this year. So the first thing I would say is it's not my opinion, this is an invitation from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people from across the country directly to Australians. And I hope that the morning after the referendum, we can all wake up and see that we're a better country than what we were the day before.
Symbolically, what role would a Voice to Parliament play?
Symbolically, I really feel it's critical, and aside from the pragmatic and practical changes that this will deliver for First Nations people on the ground, it is a momentous opportunity to unify our country in a way that we haven't been before. We have the oldest continuous culture in the world, something that we should all take pride in. And I think that this is an opportunity to really share that pride across the nation. So for me, it also sends an incredible message to First Nations people about how we're accepted and valued and respected by the entire Australian population. And I really hope that we don't miss the opportunity to send that message to First Nations people. You don't want to be in a position like Peter Dutton found himself in, apologising for being on the wrong side of history. This is another opportunity and I really urge Australians not to be on the wrong side of it.
Independent senator Jacqui Lambie
Electorate: Tasmania
I support the principles of the Voice, but I want more detail.
I want to know what a Voice to Parliament will do to close the gap.
Right now we're being told a lot of words, but not a lot about the substance behind it and how it might actually work.
Independent senator Lidia Thorpe
Electorate: Victoria
Do you support a Voice to Parliament?
The Voice is just another advisory body and apart from being enshrined in the constitution, it is no different to the many advisory bodies of the past, which have achieved so little.
I want my people to be heard and to have a say over their lives, but with the current proposal the parliament maintains supremacy over the Voice and will get no veto or real influence. This does not fulfil the principle of free, prior and informed consent as per the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous People.
It is a distraction that has delayed real changes and work towards a treaty. We've got Blak people being killed in custody, our babies being ripped away from their families and communities, children locked up in solitary confinement and our Aboriginal legal services are about to start turning people away because they are massively underfunded. Yet all the government and the media seem to be concerned about is a symbolic advisory body. It is a distraction that is literally killing our people.
What would a Voice to Parliament mean to you?
It would mean that the government got away with avoiding real change. It is the government of the day who will decide how the Voice is structured, who is on it, and how it works. That is not self-determination.
What carries meaning for me is the real improvement of our peoples' lives. The government could do that today through implementing the remaining recommendations from the Royal Commission into Aboriginal Deaths in Custody and of the Bringing them Home report now. And yet, several decades later, we are still waiting for governments to act on these to bring deaths in custody down and reduce child removals. Instead they keep going up.
There are 11 Aboriginal MPs and senators. What role would another body play that isn't already being voiced in the parliament?
If done well, with genuine consultation and grassroots representation, it could amplify the voices of community leaders. But a quick look at how advisory bodies have been used in the past suggests that it would most likely be used by government to legitimise inaction and top-down policies. The government had advice from First Nations people on the racist Northern Territory intervention that was ignored and NT mob are still hurting from that.
We as First Nations MPs and senators already bring our peoples' voices to the table and we actually vote on legislation, which is much more than the Voice will be able to do. However, there is no guarantee we will always have such strong First Nations representation in parliament. This is why I am advocating for treaty, which could designate seats in parliament for First Nations people. A voice in parliament will have more impact than a Voice to Parliament. This is something that has been done in other colonised countries and has provided First Nations people with actual power to achieve real outcomes.
What do you say to people who disagree with your position on a Voice to Parliament?
It's important to remember that the Voice has been sold to First Nations people as something that will empower them, will finally give them a real say in government policies. At the same time, it has been sold to conservatives as a body that will have no power, that will have no more ability to impact government policy than any other advisory body. The people that disagree with me need to face this contradiction and listen to the many sovereign voices around the country that don't accept this contradiction.
Symbolically, what role would a Voice to Parliament play?
Just that — a symbolic one. One that would make white Australians feel good about themselves, which is exactly what the prime minister said it's aiming to achieve. Unfortunately, it is yet another missed opportunity to give First Nations people in this country a real say, and to actually improve our lives. If the government was serious about that, it would prioritise engaging in a treaty process now. We know there is massive support for treaty in this country. Our people have been calling for it since invasion, Yothu Yindi have been singing about it for 30 years, hundreds of thousands of marchers at invasion day chant for it. Only treaty can bring peace, ending the war that was declared on us over 235 years ago. When I talk of treaty, I am talking about a path to peace that will benefit all of us, Blak and white, coloniser and colonised.
Credits:
- Reporting: Brett Worthington and Dana Morse
- Video production: Andrew Kennedy
