Australia goes to the polls tomorrow for vote on Voice to Parliament
TOMORROW Australia decides on whether to adopt a Voice to Parliament into the constitution.
In his pastoral letter released last month, Brisbane Archbishop Mark Coleridge urged all Australians to educate themselves on the upcoming referendum.
The Australian Electoral Commission has published papers and information to help inform voters on the cases for voting “yes” and “no”.
Archbishop Coleridge, in his letter, also encouraged people to consider a “careful and open-minded reading of the Uluru Statement From The Heart”.
“The status quo is not an option, because the gap between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australia is growing wider rather than closing,” he said.
“Therefore, I urge everyone in the Archdiocese to prepare to vote in a way that looks to the Gospel and, whatever the result of the Referendum, to commit to redressing the chronic disadvantage suffered by the Indigenous peoples and promoting reconciliation for the good not just of some but of the whole nation.”
The question Australians will be asked to vote “yes” or “no” on is whether to alter the Constitution to recognise the First Peoples of Australia by establishing an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice.
The Parliament of Australia has agreed to propose adding a new chapter, Chapter IX-Recognition of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples to the Constitution. The chapter would include a new section 129, which would be as follows:
129 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice
In recognition of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as the First Peoples of Australia:
there shall be a body, to be called the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice;
the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice may make representations to the Parliament and the Executive Government of the Commonwealth on matters relating to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples;
the Parliament shall, subject to this Constitution, have power to make laws with respect to matters relating to the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice, including its composition, functions, powers and procedures.
To have your vote counted, all you need to do is write “yes” or “no” in the box provided on the ballot paper.
It is compulsory to vote in the referendum.
An estimated five million Australians have voted early.
To find the closest voting centres for you today or tomorrow, please head to: https://www.aec.gov.au/referendums/voting.htm#start
