Yamatji Marlpa Aboriginal Corporation votes yes to Indigenous Voice to Parliament after On Country meeting

After discussing details of the referendum at an On Country committee meeting, the Yamatji Marlpa Aboriginal Corporation officially endorsed “yes” to the proposed Indigenous Voice to Parliament. YMAC met with a member of the Federal Government’s Referendum Working Group, Thomas Mayo, who explained the long history of First Nations Australians’ fight for recognition during the committee meeting. Mr Mayo explained the reasons behind the referendum question and debunked wording of the constitutional amendment. “It comes down to two simple questions,” Mr Mayo said. “Do we want recognition as the First Peoples, and our continuing connection to our country, and do we want a right to have a say about the decisions being made about us?” YMAC co-chair Yamatji region Peter Windie said recognising Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in the Constitution was an important step moving forward. “It will better enable us to shape our future and give First Nations peoples the means to speak on decisions that impact our lives,” he said. Mr Windie said YMAC was a supporter of the 2017 Uluru Statement from the Heart, which called to action establishing an Aboriginal Voice. YMAC has been talking to the Aboriginal Family Legal Service WA about developing Indigenous language radio packages to broadcast information about the referendum to more isolated communities, in their first language. Pilbara co-chair Natalie Parker said a key issue was about spreading information, particularly in remote communities. “This is extremely helpful for Aboriginal people, as we are storytellers and use the spoken word to communicate more commonly than written information. It is vitally important details about the Voice are shared in this way,” Ms Parker said.