Key Points
- A new video ad encourages Australians to vote "yes" to an Indigenous Voice to Parliament.
- Uluru Statement leaders say it will take all Australians to work together to pass the referendum.
Uluru Statement from the Heart leaders hope a new video will tug at the heartstrings of Australians and encourage them to vote "yes" to an Indigenous Voice to Parliament.
The ad, part of landmark education campaign 'History is Calling', centres around narrator Pitjantjatjara and Nyungar man Trevor Jamieson, as he tells a future-focused story to some children sitting in front of him about how First Nations people achieved a Voice to Parliament with the help of Australians everywhere.
"It's about how these people, the first people, got a voice," he says.
The ad cuts to everyday Australians who decide to spread the word and support an Indigenous Voice at the upcoming referendum.
"The whole nation did something about it. People called their friends and families. People talked about it on the streets, talked about it at work, on the field," Mr Jamieson says.
"Everybody made a song and dance about it … And that's how we changed this country for the better. How we made history."
When the children then ask if the story is true, he replies: "It could be."
Bridget Cama, a Wiradjuri and Fijian woman and co-chair of the Uluru Youth Dialogue, said it's hoped the campaign will raise awareness, educate and encourage conversations.
"We're really proud that this has come to fruition," she told SBS News.
"We also really want to remind Australians that they're going to play a really, really important role in this moment in our shared history."
Ms Cama said the issue of Voice affected all Australians and it would take all Australians to pass the referendum.
"If you call these beautiful lands out your home, then this is your business," she said.
"The most important thing is that when people go to vote on referendum day that they know what they're voting for. [It's about] educating communities about firstly, what the Voice is, but also what impact it will make on Australia, and, and our issues."
Ms Cama added that Uluru Youth Dialogue felt "energised by the support we've received from the Australian people".
Alyawarre woman and Uluru Dialogue Co-Chair Pat Anderson AO, who features in the ad, has urged the Australian public to listen to the call to action and talk about Voice with family, friends and work colleagues. Source: SBS News
"We are on a journey to nation-building, but we cannot do this alone. This referendum requires all Australians to get behind it, she said in a statement.
"Silence never made history and History is Calling. It's up to all Australians to answer."
The ad, which will feature on social media and playback TV, was directed by Kamilaroi man Jordan Watton, alongside cinematographer Arrernte and Kalkadoon man Tyson Perkins, and music composer Yuwaalaraay man James Henry.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, , said the referendum question put to Australians could be as simple as: do you support an alteration to the constitution that establishes an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice?
"A straightforward proposition. A simple principle. A question from the heart," he said.
The prime minister is yet to set a referendum date but has committed to holding it in Labor’s first term of government.
Voice will only consult on issues that 'affect directly' First Nations people
Indigenous Australians Minister Linda Burney said on Sunday that enshrining a Voice to Parliament in the constitution would have a tangible impact on the lives of Indigenous people.
But with some raising concerns around a two-tier system, she said the Voice would not be consulted on every piece of legislation before the federal parliament.
The Wiradjuri woman said the Voice would address two key issues: not recognising Australia's First Nations people are the longest continuous culture on the planet and improving the lives of Indigenous people.
"There is not equity in this country. Whatever government's done in the past, has not filled those gaps," she told Sky News.
"This is an opportunity at nation building."
Ms Burney said it would only consult on issues that "affect directly the lives of First Nations people".
"Things like land rights, legislation, things like native title, things like cultural water allocations, things like childcare," she said.
Indigenous Australians Minister Linda Burney says that enshrining a Voice to Parliament in the constitution would have a tangible impact on the lives of First Nations people. Source: AAP / LUKAS COCH/AAPIMAGE
Ms Burney said she is still hopeful of getting Coalition support for the plan.
"What I'm really encouraged about is that Peter Dutton continues to say that he's got an open mind," she said.
But former resources minister Keith Pitt has said he will oppose the Voice to Parliament at referendum.
"I don't see how this helps one kid get educated, prevents one domestic violence attack helps one individual get a job. Apart from those of course that would be involved in the Voice," he told Sky News on Sunday.
While the Uluru Statement from the Heart has received widespread support, not all First Nations people are behind it.
With AAP
