Voice referendum: Understanding the referendum from a human rights perspective
Understand the Voice referendum through a human rights lens, examining its significance for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples and Australia's
Summary
The Commission has produced an educational resource kit to encourage the Australian public to consider the Uluru Statement from the Heart and the Indigenous Voice to Parliament referendum through a human rights lens.
About the resource kit
Conversations about the referendum and proposed Voice to Parliament have the potential to be harmful for First Nations peoples. The Australian Human Rights Commission’s Voice referendum resources seek to minimise harm by encouraging cultural humility and focusing the conversation on human rights principles as they relate to the referendum and proposed Voice to Parliament.
There are nine documents in the resource kit – available to download in full on the Commission's website.
Standalone resources
The stand-alone resources are available for individual download on the webpages linked below:
- The Uluru Statement from the Heart
- Minimising harm in conversations about the referendum
- Indigenous Rights & the Voice
- The history of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples advocating for the right to be heard
- Symbolic change or substantive reform
- Self-determination and Indigenous peoples
- The Voice and human rights
- Referendums and constitutional change
- Support services
Acknowledgements
The Commission thanks IndigenousX, a 100% Indigenous owned and operated media, consultancy and training organisation, for their generous guidance and expertise on this project until mid-June 2023. The Commission was grateful for the opportunity to partner with IndigenousX due to their impartial and non-partisan position on the upcoming referendum and demonstrated understanding of the Commission’s independent and statutory role. Further, IndigenousX's insights into the nature of race and racism in Australia along with their dedication to ensuring careful consideration of and respect for Indigenous rights, knowledges, and experiences, proved invaluable to the development of these resources.
The Commission also thanks Saltwater People, an Indigenous-owned, full-service creative agency that delivers strategic design communications and cross-cultural engagement. Throughout the development of this resource kit, they generously provided expertise in best practice cross-cultural engagement, Indigenous Cultural and Intellectual Property (ICIP) and visual communication.
Accompanying artwork
Please note, the artwork accompanying this kit is © Paul Bong.
