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The Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice to Parliament

About the proposal

About the proposal

The proposed Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice to Parliament will be ‘an independent, representative advisory body for First Nations people’ to advise Parliament and the broader Government on matters relating to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.

The essential idea of the proposal is to bring government decision-making about Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples closer to the communities affected – an idea which has proven to be successful in smaller specific initiatives across the country.

The Voice will not have a veto power, nor will it control government legislation or policy or deliver government services.

While the finer detail will be discussed and agreed upon after a successful vote, and passed by Parliament in ordinary laws, the final report on the Voice co-design process outlines a possible model.

  • a network of Local and Regional Voices in two-way communication with a National Voice.
  • Communities would be represented by, and able to join, a Local and Regional Voice, which in turn would nominate members for the National Voice.

The Australian Government has released a politically impartial community toolkit with the core objectives of the Voice to Parliament and how it would be set up. Information is available in multiple languages.

Resources from voice.gov.au

Resources from voice.gov.au

On Saturday, 14 October 2023, Australians will have their say in a referendum about whether to change the Constitution to recognise the First Peoples of Australia by establishing a body called the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice.

The Voice will be an independent, representative body for First Nations peoples.

  • It would advise the Australian Parliament and Government.
  • It would give First Nations people a say on matters that affect them.

Read the full design principles of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice agreed by the First Nations Referendum Working group.

See a fact sheet on the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice.