Between October and December this year all Australians will be asked to vote in a referendum that will have a profound effect on our nation and the future of our First Nations people. We will be asked whether we support amending the Constitution to recognise the First Peoples of Australia by establishing a First Peoples Voice to Parliament.
It is a powerful and significant moment in time. At Alberts we believe it is an incredibly generous gesture by our First Nations people, who have invited us to walk with them towards a better future. Crucially, Voice is something a large majority of First Nations people have said they want: the implementation of an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice to enable systemic change, improving practical outcomes and the lives of First Nations people.
For this reason Alberts is publicly supporting the ‘Yes’ campaign and have today committed financially through our philanthropic foundation, The Tony Foundation, to join the Philanthropy YES Alliance alongside 31 of our respected peers including the Paul Ramsay Foundation, the Snow Foundation, Balnaves Foundation and the CAGES Foundation. Together the group hopes to raise a substantial amount to assist a national education campaign.
The Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice would be a permanent, independent, representative advisory body for First Nations people that would advise the Australian parliament and government on issues that affect them, in the same way organisations such as the Productivity Commission and the Human Rights Commission inform government. Being enshrined in the Constitution, however, means it could not be abolished in the way previous government-organised bodies such as ATSIC and the National Indigenous Council have been.
Supporting the ‘Yes’ campaign aligns strongly with Alberts values and commitments, equality and inclusion in particular. In 2019 Alberts was one of 62 individual philanthropists and philanthropic foundations who publicly supported the Uluru Statement from the Heart calling for the establishment of a First Peoples Voice enshrined in the Constitution.
Alberts has enjoyed positive and successful partnerships with a number of Indigenous stakeholders through The Tony Foundation, which has since 2012 sought to improve life outcomes for young Australians through music, particularly Indigenous youth.
At Alberts we believe it is right and fair that our First Nations people be consulted in policy decisions that affect them. We acknowledge everyone has a right to their own opinion and respect the differences in opinion among First Nations people themselves. However we firmly believe that establishing a Voice to parliament is a crucial step towards empowering Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people to have a say in their own futures, to guide parliament in matters that concern them and to include First Nations people in Australia’s Constitution.
