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You can find the current article at its original source at https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2022/nov/09/indigenous-voice-referendum-should-be-sooner-rather-than-later-uluru-statement-co-chairs-say
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| Indigenous voice referendum should be sooner rather than later, Uluru statement co-chairs say | Indigenous voice referendum should be sooner rather than later, Uluru statement co-chairs say |
| (3 months later) | |
| Pat Anderson and Prof Megan Davis urge Labor to not waste momentum and call on the media to ‘rise to this occasion’ | Pat Anderson and Prof Megan Davis urge Labor to not waste momentum and call on the media to ‘rise to this occasion’ |
| The Uluru Statement from the Heart co-chair Pat Anderson has urged the federal government to not waste “momentum” for the Indigenous voice to parliament, calling for a referendum on the constitutional change sooner rather than later. | The Uluru Statement from the Heart co-chair Pat Anderson has urged the federal government to not waste “momentum” for the Indigenous voice to parliament, calling for a referendum on the constitutional change sooner rather than later. |
| Anderson said the national vote could occur in October 2023, the most recently proposed of many mooted dates, as she called for the nation’s media to “rise to this occasion” in reporting on Indigenous constitutional recognition. | Anderson said the national vote could occur in October 2023, the most recently proposed of many mooted dates, as she called for the nation’s media to “rise to this occasion” in reporting on Indigenous constitutional recognition. |
| “You need to be a little more agile and a bit more energetic about getting to the truth of issues,” Anderson told reporters in Canberra on Wednesday. | “You need to be a little more agile and a bit more energetic about getting to the truth of issues,” Anderson told reporters in Canberra on Wednesday. |
| “We have been here a really long time. We ain’t going nowhere. So at some stage you’re going to have to deal with us, and journalists can help.” | “We have been here a really long time. We ain’t going nowhere. So at some stage you’re going to have to deal with us, and journalists can help.” |
| Anderson and fellow Uluru statement co-chair Prof Megan Davis addressed the National Press Club, speaking about the push for a constitutionally enshrined voice to parliament. Davis said constitutional recognition must not be “tokenistic” but lead to real-world changes. | Anderson and fellow Uluru statement co-chair Prof Megan Davis addressed the National Press Club, speaking about the push for a constitutionally enshrined voice to parliament. Davis said constitutional recognition must not be “tokenistic” but lead to real-world changes. |
| “It must be substantive, it must change people’s lives on the ground, otherwise why go to a referendum?” she said. | “It must be substantive, it must change people’s lives on the ground, otherwise why go to a referendum?” she said. |
| The prime minister, Anthony Albanese, has proposed a referendum question to ask Australians whether they “support an alteration to the constitution that establishes an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander voice”, but details of exactly how the structure would operate or its membership have not been concluded. | The prime minister, Anthony Albanese, has proposed a referendum question to ask Australians whether they “support an alteration to the constitution that establishes an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander voice”, but details of exactly how the structure would operate or its membership have not been concluded. |
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| Davis, a professor of law at the University of New South Wales, said there was “understandable impatience for detail” on the voice, but debate about the change was often ignorant of the reasons for such a change. | Davis, a professor of law at the University of New South Wales, said there was “understandable impatience for detail” on the voice, but debate about the change was often ignorant of the reasons for such a change. |
| “The discussion is divorced from policy settings that plague our people’s lives on the ground and subjugate our voice to the bureaucracy,” she said. | “The discussion is divorced from policy settings that plague our people’s lives on the ground and subjugate our voice to the bureaucracy,” she said. |
| Guardian Australia understands the government plans a much broader civics and education campaign starting in early 2023, with more detail on the change to be advised, while pro-voice groups will also launch further campaigning in coming months. The government will this month introduce changes to update referendum machinery rules. | Guardian Australia understands the government plans a much broader civics and education campaign starting in early 2023, with more detail on the change to be advised, while pro-voice groups will also launch further campaigning in coming months. The government will this month introduce changes to update referendum machinery rules. |
| Albanese has committed to a referendum vote sometime in the 2023-24 financial year, but has not committed to an exact date. Anderson said on Wednesday the potential date she had most recently heard was October 2023, and urged the government to start making bolder action soon. | Albanese has committed to a referendum vote sometime in the 2023-24 financial year, but has not committed to an exact date. Anderson said on Wednesday the potential date she had most recently heard was October 2023, and urged the government to start making bolder action soon. |
| “There is a fine line between getting everybody ready for a referendum and when it is time to go and there is definitely a time to go,” she said. | “There is a fine line between getting everybody ready for a referendum and when it is time to go and there is definitely a time to go,” she said. |
| “We can’t leave this hanging around for too long otherwise it removes momentum. I’ve been around here a long time working in the space and this is the best opportunity we have ever had.” | “We can’t leave this hanging around for too long otherwise it removes momentum. I’ve been around here a long time working in the space and this is the best opportunity we have ever had.” |
| Anderson said the vote must be held in this term of parliament. | Anderson said the vote must be held in this term of parliament. |
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| “If we go into the next term, we’ve lost, in my view. We would have lost the momentum, and the government and all of us will get sidetracked by a lot of other things,” she said. | “If we go into the next term, we’ve lost, in my view. We would have lost the momentum, and the government and all of us will get sidetracked by a lot of other things,” she said. |
| “We have to work out how we will educate the Australian population, there is a lot of to-ing and fro-ing but we need to get out there fairly soon.” | “We have to work out how we will educate the Australian population, there is a lot of to-ing and fro-ing but we need to get out there fairly soon.” |
| Anderson also implored mainstream media to report extensively on the framework. | Anderson also implored mainstream media to report extensively on the framework. |
| “The press has a really important job to do here and a responsibility as well. Sometimes the stories are one-sided. Often it’s really clear the journalist does not have a good history background,” Anderson said. | “The press has a really important job to do here and a responsibility as well. Sometimes the stories are one-sided. Often it’s really clear the journalist does not have a good history background,” Anderson said. |
| “You need to be a little more agile, a bit more energetic about getting to the truth of issues.” | “You need to be a little more agile, a bit more energetic about getting to the truth of issues.” |
| Davis said she believed there was strong support for the voice in some parts of the federal Coalition, but that there was “a lot to run” before the parliament considered the change. | Davis said she believed there was strong support for the voice in some parts of the federal Coalition, but that there was “a lot to run” before the parliament considered the change. |
| She also pushed back on comments from the Greens calling for a treaty with Indigenous Australians to come before a voice to parliament, saying the Uluru statement’s sequencing of voice, treaty and truth had been deliberately set out through “very diligent consideration”. | She also pushed back on comments from the Greens calling for a treaty with Indigenous Australians to come before a voice to parliament, saying the Uluru statement’s sequencing of voice, treaty and truth had been deliberately set out through “very diligent consideration”. |
| “There is one rule of thumb, our rights are inherent rights, and you don’t delay rights like something like the voice. You don’t delay treaty for a truth commission,” Davis said. | “There is one rule of thumb, our rights are inherent rights, and you don’t delay rights like something like the voice. You don’t delay treaty for a truth commission,” Davis said. |
| “They are inherent rights. You don’t need a truth commission to set the framework for that.” | “They are inherent rights. You don’t need a truth commission to set the framework for that.” |