Australians are just months away from deciding whether to enshrine an Indigenous Voice to Parliament in the constitution.
The prime minister has announced the wording of the referendum question, parliament has introduced legislation to trigger the vote, and the Liberal Party has officially announced it will formally oppose the government's model.
The Drum spoke with three young, First Nations women whose views on the Voice are deeply rooted in their culture and experiences – and not easily wedged into Yes or No camps.
'We don't want any white guilt on this'
Teela Reid is a Wiradjuri and Wailwan woman, lawyer and storyteller.
On the day Prime Minister Anthony Albanese announced the wording of the referendum, she told The Drum:
"I think Australians can stop for a day and give themselves a pat on the back because we've pushed [the Voice] to this point, mobilising the people who demanded that this issue be on the national agenda – when past prime ministers refused to consider it."
As a campaigner for the Uluru Statement from the Heart and First Nations advocate, Ms Reid says her role in the lead up to the referendum will be as a guide, "making sure that when Australians get to that ballot box, they're aware and informed on what they are voting for".
There's a long road ahead towards the referendum ballot box.
Many perspectives still need to be heard, she says, from "the many different giants in the past who fought for a fair go, a say and control over their communities, and demanded treaty and negotiation and reparations" to the "grassroots campaigns that are emerging" in relation to the Voice.
And mistrust of government and legislation needs to be addressed.
"For someone like me who is an ageing millennial, a blackfella from the country, we have the lived experience of how laws have been written in the past to weaponise our people," she says.
"My people, both my paternal and maternal lines, were shoved on to missions, hounded because of the way in which laws were written."
The education campaign around the Voice will play a vital role, according to Ms Reid.
"The one thing First Nations people don't want is any white guilt on this," Mr Reid says.
"We want systemic change, we want racism to stop in our nation, we want people's hearts and minds to change in this process.
"I think it is important that when people galvanise towards [the Voice referendum], they need to understand precisely what they're voting for."
Australians can also draw from history when deciding how they'll vote.
"When Australians stood with blackfellas in 1967, that was the most historic referendum in Australia's history," she says.
At the 1967 referendum, more than 90 per cent of Australians voted to change the constitution so that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples would be counted as part of the population and the Commonwealth would be able to make laws for them.
"At the end of the day, it will be the Australian people who will be the judge and jury."
'We're rushing this process'
Vanessa Turnbull-Roberts is a Bundjalung woman and human rights advocate – and she has some concerns about the Voice to Parliament.
"We've always had a voice, but we haven't been listened to," she says.
"My concern when it comes to the Voice to Parliament is the way First Nations communities – people who aren't in particular positions – have been neglected through this process."
"And it's all happening within the year that we have our Labor government in power – so we're rushing this process."
She believes that these communities should have their say, and treaty is something that needs to be discussed.
"We keep talking about getting the Voice on the table and then we'll move towards the discussion of Treaty," she explains.
"I think that's completely disrespectful to the community members who put their bodies on the line and are demanding treaty processes to take place."
There also needs to be a better understanding of the power the Voice to Parliament will have, according to Ms Turnbull-Roberts – and what it will mean for First Nations justice.
"As First Nations people, there's inherently a distrust when it comes to government," she says.
"We haven't been marching in the streets, bringing thousands of people together to say, 'We want to be in the constitution!'
"I have never heard that chant ever in my life, ever."
If the Voice gives First Nations people power, she's for it.
"We deserve a seat at the table, we need a seat at the table – we should be building the table and inviting people to come sit with us."
Before adding: "But do you believe that [the Voice] is more than just mere advisory and consultancy?"
'The Voice alone isn't enough'
Taylah Gray is a Wiradjuri woman and the first Aboriginal woman to undertake a PhD in law at the University of Newcastle.
In her fourth year of law, a lecturer told her: "First Nations people were supreme negotiators.
"We've had these practices since time immemorial," she says, having learned that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people are highly experienced and skilled in mediation and dispute resolution.
"So, one of the downfalls with the Voice is that there are opposing opinions in First Nations communities – and they haven't been addressed."
Ms Gray says all First Nations people should be able to have their say and have their concerns adequately accounted for before the referendum.
Ms Gray also believes that while "the Voice alone isn't enough", it does have power to influence the government and breathe life into the treaty process.
"If we want to have a treaty, we need to have structures in place to talk to parliament and hear First Nations people," she explains.
"How do we create a treaty when we don't have that process in place?"
Ms Gray hasn't decided how she'll vote – yet – but she wants all First Nations people to know that it's ok to vote yes or no.
"I'm leaning on my mentors and the people I trust," she says, "and I advise people to do the same."
"People need to come to an independent decision, but they can lean on people who have their best interest at heart."
