A motion passed yesterday afternoon has affirmed that an Indigenous voice to parliament won’t impact the sovereignty of First Nations People.
Lodged by Yamatji Noongar woman and the Greens Spokesperson for First Nations, Senator Dorinda Cox and co signed by Labor’s Malardirri McCarthy, the motion highlights both parties’ continuing commitment to implement the Uluru Statement From the Heart.
“By lodging the motion alongside my Labor parliamentary colleague, Senator McCarthy, I want to send a strong message of support for the Voice to Parliament, and reassure my mob and First Nations people across the country that their Sovereignty will not be impacted by this bill or the Voice itself,” Senator Cox said.
Senator Cox says she would not vote for the Voice if it posed a threat to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander sovereignty.
“I could not support the Voice to Parliament if I believed it would cede my Sovereignty; Sovereignty is my birthright. Only we, as individual Sovereign people, have the ability to cede our own Sovereignty,” She said.
The motion also reaffirms both parties’ commitments to establishing a truth-telling inquiry.
“It was also important to me to have the government commit, as a matter of priority, to establish a Makarrata Commission to progress Treaty-making and Truth-telling alongside the Voice to Parliament.
“We want this referendum to succeed as an important step towards implementing the Uluru Statement in full and we remain committed to immediate action on Treaty and Truth.”
The successful motion follows the senate passing the Constitution Alteration Bill by 52 to 19, triggering the referendum for an Indigenous Voice to Parliament which is expected to be held late this year.
| Assistant Minister for Indigenous Australians (Senator McCarthy) and Senator Cox: To move — That the Senate — endorses the implementation of the Uluru Statement from the Heart in full, as a matter of priority, including a Voice enshrined in the Constitution and a Makarrata Commission for agreement-making and truth-telling; and notes that all members of the Constitutional Expert Group have agreed that the proposed alteration to the Constitution ‘would not affect the sovereignty of any group or body’. |
