Australia is a proud and diverse nation with a rich cultural heritage that dates back at least 65,000 years. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples are the first peoples of Australia and can proudly claim the oldest continuing culture on our planet.
But First Nations people are not recognised in our Constitution - this must change. A Voice to Parliament will provide advice to the Federal Government about laws and policies that affect or impact Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities.
To explain The Voice and its impacts, the City of Sydney is holding a free public talk at Town Hall in July.
Hosted by Professor Stan Grant, a proud Wiradjuri, Kamilaroi, and Dharawal man - the evening will assemble First Nations elders, political and community leaders, and experts in constitutional reform.
Keynote speeches will be given by the Hon Linda Burney MP, Minister for Indigenous Australians; Noel Pearson, lawyer, land rights activist, and founder of the Cape York Institute for Policy and Leadership; and Lord Mayor Clover Moore AO.
The panel is comprised of co-authors of The Voice to Parliament Handbook, journalist Kerry O'Brien and Thomas Mayo, from the First Nations Referendum Working Group; Anne Twomey AO, Professor of Constitutional Law at the University of Sydney, Dr. Shireen Morris, director of the Radical Centre Reform Lab and senior lecturer at Macquarie University Law School; and Shane Phillips, CEO of the Tribal Warrior Association.
"This referendum provides all Australians with the opportunity to come together and recognise the history, and ongoing relationship of First Nations people with this land," Lord Mayor of Sydney, Clover Moore AO said.
