YES
Statement on the Voice from the MARION Board and staff
On 14 October 2023, a national referendum will be taking place.
Through a compulsory vote, Australians will decide on whether to change the constitution to establish an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice to Parliament.
The outcomes of this referendum will have lasting ramifications for First Nations people and for the ongoing relationship between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians. It is critical that we each invest time and thought into how we will vote and why.
We encourage our members and community of writers to approach your vote with empathy and respect. In forming your decision, we also encourage you to conduct your own research to avoid placing the burden of education and providing information on our First Nations communities. We have included a non-exhaustive list of perspectives on the Voice below.
MARION’s board and staff are in support of the YES campaign.
We acknowledge that not all of our members may agree with this position. While MARION will be supporting the YES campaign as an organisation, we hope that all of our members will commit to making an informed decision that reflects their own values and concerns.
“I’ll be voting yes, to recognise and consult with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. I’m saying yes to a better future for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and all Australians.”
“I will be voting YES for a Voice to Parliament. The upcoming referendum is a rare and important opportunity for Australians to drive systemic cultural change. I support First Nations peoples right to self-determination and also support the Uluru Statement from the Heart in full.”
“MARION exists to amplify our members’ voices and nurture, promote and share their stories to the benefit of all our communities. The First Nations Peoples of this land do not get this support. Their voices have been repressed and their stories distorted. I commit to listening to the custodians of this land and giving them a say in laws that affect them by voting yes.”
Resources
● Self-determination and Indigenous peoples
Selected readings
Why I stand for Yes, and why that’s hard to say out loud, Claire G. Coleman, Crikey, 5 September 2023
The rest of Uluru’s promise, Claire G. Coleman, The Saturday Paper, 2 September 2023
The Voice and the importance of truth-telling, Daniel James, 31 August 2023
The media will play a profound role in the Voice referendum, but are they up to it?, Rachel Perkins, Crikey, 25 August 2023
Lidia Thorpe calls for referendum to be abandoned during National Press Club address, Jess Whaler, National Indigenous Times (NIT), 17 August 2023
What is the Indigenous voice to parliament, how would it work, and what happens next?Lorena Allam, The Guardian, 14 August 2023
Q+A at Garma 2023, ABC, 7 August 2023
Sydney Ideas – Voices on the Voice: Marcia Langton, University of Sydney, 3 August 2023
Yes or No – Australia is still guilty., Vanessa Turnbull-Roberts, Indigenous X, 20 July 2023
Voice to Parliament: Why mob are staying silent, Chelsea Watego, Indigenous X, 19 July 2023
Depending on your reasons, it’s okay to oppose the Voice, Michael Mansell, NITV, 21 April 2023
Issues Paper on a First Nations Voice Referendum, Australian National University (ANU), 25 August 2023
Framing the voice debate in terms of ‘special treatment’ is race-baiting – we must call it out,
Tony McAvoy, The Guardian, 1 March 2023
What’s Indigenous sovereignty and can a Voice extinguish it?, Jack Latimore, Sydney Morning Herald, 9 February 2023
We have always had a voice, but we have never been listened to, Vanessa Turnbull-Roberts, The Guardian, 31 January 2023
Voting on ‘The Voice’. Will it fight racist violence?, Amy McQuire, Presence, 5 January 2023
An Indigenous Voice will mean politicians can pick and choose the ones they want to hear, Thomas Mayor, SBS, 2 December 2022
Everything you need to know about the Uluru Statement from the Heart, Megan Davis and
George Williams, June 2021
Finding the Heart of the Nation: The Journey of the Uluru Statement towards Voice, Treaty and
Truth, Thomas Mayor, 1 October 2019
Detailed Outline of the Blak Sovereign Movement’s Position on the Referendum, Blak Sovereign
Movement
