The Voice to Parliament.
Acknowledgement of Country
CYNSIC acknowledges and pays tribute to the Whadjuk people of the Noongar Nation and their elders past and present as the Traditional Custodians of the Country (Boodja) on which we work. We pay our respect to the traditional owners and the continuing connection of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.
"secondly"
Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, a Nigerian writer and Tedtalk speaker famously known for her conversation on "Why everyone should be a feminist", explored the dangers of a single story at the TedGlobal Conference in 2009 themed "The Substance of Things not Seen". She delved into how limited perspectives on the voices that make up our world further funnels us down a path where we have an isolated experience of life and truth.
Currently, our Australia has been choking on the single story of the creation of our now multicultural identity. Stuck on what is our true beginning. As of late however indigenous communities have been loosening the strains with their fight to be recognised, heard and constitutionally seen, and along side them are the many faces and cultures that make up our very diverse nations. with migrants from all of over the world that find residence on their land seeing the necessity for their story to be recognised.
Initiatives have been drawn up for decades and some battles won whilst some other lost but currently a slither of light is being seen with The Voice to Parliament.
What is it?
A voice. simply put it is a channel that will enable government agencies to have a better grasp of indigenous communities and issues affecting them, equipping them with the right language and policy by having a real indigenous body present in attendance of decision making. This 'voice' is an attempt to reconcile the gap between the traditional custodians of this land and modern Australia, it will bring authentic representation as this body will be organised and run exclusively by indigenous communities; for more information check out these sites linked at the bottom!
Why is it Important?
Imagine being a refugee in your own backyard, better yet, imagine someone coming into your home, killing your parents, ripping your skin and cutting your tongue off. Then thrown out naked with your reality rinsed with bleach. (If you are a refugee or migrant you can empathise with this).
This feels pretty violent but guess what? it's the true history of our aboriginal community, their story is rampaged with violence and abuse, lets start with The Stolen Generation:
Children were forcibly removed by governments, churches and welfare bodies with the intention to distance them from their origins in order to begin this process of assimilation and wiping out their race.
This horrific process affected anywhere from 1 in 10 to 1 in 3 aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander children.
The Indigenous experience has been denied to the point they feel like echoes. The Voice to Parliament is a step towards real reconciliation, to a real national identity that acknowledges all paths in the Australian experience. This has nothing to with politics but everything to do with true humanity. Voting Yes is saying "yes, i see you", and who isn't deserving of that?
The danger to ignoring this opportunity to make history right is the silencing of indigenous voices, the banishment of their hope and most importantly 'seconding' their story. Endangering our multicultural identity as this will leave Australia indifferent and isolated with no real, true origin.
Some more information and resources:
Uluru Statement from the heart
Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie: The Danger of a single story.