Latest / 360 with Katie Woolf / Uluru Statement from the Heart, Voice to Parliament advocate Thomas Mayo explains what the Voice is and how it would work

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Uluru Statement from the Heart, Voice to Parliament advocate Thomas Mayo explains what the Voice is and how it would work · 360 with Katie Woolf

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: There has obviously been a lot of talk this week
• 0:03
  Speaker 1: in the Northern Territory Parliament about well about the Voice
• 0:08
  Speaker 1: to Parliament, and we know that Thomas Mayo is an
• 0:10
  Speaker 1: advocate for the ULARU Statement from the Heart and he's
• 0:13
  Speaker 1: this week actually been in Canberra discussing the Voice with
• 0:16
  Speaker 1: federal politicians. He was also accompanied by fellow Territorians may
• 0:20
  Speaker 1: Mae Morrison and Barb Shaw, and Thomas joins me on
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  Speaker 1: the line. Now, good morning, Thomas.
• 0:27
  Speaker 2: Good morning Katie.
• 0:28
  Speaker 3: How are you yeah, really good.
• 0:29
  Speaker 1: Thanks so much for your time this morning. How did
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  Speaker 1: those talks go in Canberra?
• 0:35
  Speaker 2: They're good. We're progressing towards the referendum which will be
• 0:40
  Speaker 2: held later this year. There's a lot of work being
• 0:43
  Speaker 2: done to prepare for it and to make sure that
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  Speaker 2: you know, the final amendment to the Constitution that the
• 0:50
  Speaker 2: Australian people will be asked to vote on, and the
• 0:52
  Speaker 2: question and all those things in the best possible shape
• 0:56
  Speaker 2: for us to hopefully succeedest.
• 1:00
  Speaker 1: Thing I hear at the moment, and to be really honest,
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  Speaker 1: it's it's sort of my you know, my view as well.
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  Speaker 1: I'm really supportive of the Voice, and I guess for
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  Speaker 1: me My biggest concerns are just not having a huge
• 1:12
  Speaker 1: level of detail at the moment, but also making sure
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  Speaker 1: that you know that if this does move ahead, that
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  Speaker 1: we can ensure that places like the Northern Territory, but
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  Speaker 1: some of our remote real you know, remote voices and
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  Speaker 1: people that do live in communities are going to be
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  Speaker 1: genuinely heard.
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  Speaker 3: Thomas, you know, what would.
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  Speaker 1: You say to people like me and others out there
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  Speaker 1: listening that are sort of in the same boat at
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  Speaker 1: this point.
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  Speaker 2: Well, firstly, you know, thank you for supporting the what
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  Speaker 2: we called for in the Lariz Open from the Heart,
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  Speaker 2: which was a rare opportunity for our people to come
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  Speaker 2: together from across the country to to hopefully, you know,
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  Speaker 2: which was to reach a consensus on how we can
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  Speaker 2: reconcile Australia's past and make greater steps in closing the gap.
• 2:00
  Speaker 2: The proposal was a voice to Parliament in trying and
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  Speaker 2: the Constitution and it is quite a simple thing really.
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  Speaker 2: It is the en training the principle that average Montarista
• 2:11
  Speaker 2: and the people should have a say about the decisions
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  Speaker 2: that are made about them, and it's a form of
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  Speaker 2: constitutional recognition that we've called for the amendment to The
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  Speaker 2: constitution is really simple. It just establishes that there should
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  Speaker 2: be that voice, you know, the ability to have a say,
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  Speaker 2: and that it's not more thann advisory. So it only
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  Speaker 2: advises the Parliament. It can't vetover parliament hold up the
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  Speaker 2: processes of our democracy. That's all it is. The rest
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  Speaker 2: of it is legislated by the Parliament, and you know
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  Speaker 2: it's you know, which is the normal process for constitutional.
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  Speaker 3: Reform, Thomas.
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  Speaker 1: How do we make sure though, when it gets to
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  Speaker 1: that point that you know that the Parliament does it?
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  Speaker 1: I suppose in the way that we you know, that
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  Speaker 1: we want them to, and that the voices of those
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  Speaker 1: that are most needing are actually heard. Yes.
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  Speaker 2: So there's a number of guiding principles for the design
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  Speaker 2: of the Voice that have been released. There's nine at present.
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  Speaker 2: They will be expanded on. So you can't put the
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  Speaker 2: entire detail before a referendum because those things need to
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  Speaker 2: be flexible. So, just like any institution needs to change
• 3:26
  Speaker 2: with the needs of the people with a national interest
• 3:30
  Speaker 2: or to improve the organization, it will be the same
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  Speaker 2: with the Voice. The Parliament should ultimately have the power
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  Speaker 2: to improve it, as I mentioned, and we elect them
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  Speaker 2: and we hold them to account to do a good
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  Speaker 2: job at that. So you know, really the referendum is
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  Speaker 2: only about entrining the principle, the principle of fairness that
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  Speaker 2: Indigenous people should be heard when decisions are made about them,
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  Speaker 2: as a form of recognizing our our indigenous heritage and
• 4:01
  Speaker 2: sharing in that indigenous heritage, something that hasn't been done
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  Speaker 2: in this country yet. The Constitution has purposely excluded Indigenous people.
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  Speaker 2: Until sixty seven, we weren't even counted as Australian citizens.
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  Speaker 2: And so you know, that's again it's the normal way
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  Speaker 2: that our democracy works and it doesn't change things fundamentally,
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  Speaker 2: though it does give greater fairness to Indigenous people.
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  Speaker 1: Thomas, I know that yesterday in Parliament I believe it
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  Speaker 1: was na Mark Goula has said that there hasn't been
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  Speaker 1: enough consultation yet in remote communities.
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  Speaker 3: Is there going to be some work in that space.
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  Speaker 2: There's been a massive amount of work here and it's
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  Speaker 2: a massive country though too, and it takes huge resources
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  Speaker 2: to reach everybody, and certainly I think where the resources
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  Speaker 2: committed for the referendum. You know in the coming months
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  Speaker 2: that everybody is going to have all of the information
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  Speaker 2: they need but the the call for a voice to
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  Speaker 2: Parliament came from a series of thirteen dialogues that covered
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  Speaker 2: the entire country in regional dialogues, and the participants were
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  Speaker 2: all Aboriginalaristrate Island of people, and there was a formula
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  Speaker 2: to the invitations that ensured that there was a cross
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  Speaker 2: across range of our perspectives and experiences and the types
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  Speaker 2: of addicts in our communities to ensure it wasn't just
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  Speaker 2: the loudest of our people that were heard, but all
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  Speaker 2: types of our people. And so that's a very very
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  Speaker 2: important factor to talk about here. Sure, not all Indigenous
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  Speaker 2: people were involved in it, just like any other decision
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  Speaker 2: made in our democracy doesn't involve every single Australian but
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  Speaker 2: through a process of proper consultation and formulated, formulated approach
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  Speaker 2: and representatives, I think we came to the best possible proposal.
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  Speaker 2: And there are indications that a majority of Australian people
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  Speaker 2: already support this around sixty percent, and not all Indigenous
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  Speaker 2: people support the same thing. We're not homogeneous. We have
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  Speaker 2: different views, but around eighty percent of Indigenous people support
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  Speaker 2: this change as well.
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  Speaker 1: Thomas, I know that it has the points been raised
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  Speaker 1: a few times over the last few days and probably
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  Speaker 1: before then, that there are a number of indigenous organizations already.
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  Speaker 1: Let's you know, let's use the Northern Territory as an example,
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  Speaker 1: and we have really strong representation from Indigenous politicians, particularly
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  Speaker 1: here in the Northern Territory in Federal Parliament.
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  Speaker 3: Some people questioning, is that not enough?
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, I heard Keisha Kurrik talk about that yesterday. It
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  Speaker 2: is true there are many different indigenous organizations, but they
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  Speaker 2: have their own remit you know, they have their specialties
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  Speaker 2: that they work on. For example, land councils are concerned
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  Speaker 2: with land use and matters to do traditional lands, you know.
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  Speaker 2: The peak organizations look after health or education, you know,
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  Speaker 2: so they have very important roles, you know, legal services.
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  Speaker 2: But what we're talking about here is a political representative
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  Speaker 2: body because the most practical thing that we can do
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  Speaker 2: to close the gap, one of the most practical things
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  Speaker 2: and actually a vital key to resolving the issues in
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  Speaker 2: this community and also addressing the social issues that lead
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  Speaker 2: to crime and alcoholism, is to have a consistent approach
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  Speaker 2: to the way that policies and laws are made in
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  Speaker 2: this country. And a voice to Parliament would do that.
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  Speaker 2: It would still it would still be important all those
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  Speaker 2: other organizations, but they would advise and support the Voice
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  Speaker 2: to be able to give consistent and coherent advice to
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  Speaker 2: the Parliament. If that's why people say, if there was
• 7:58
  Speaker 2: this in place already, it would be a different situation
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  Speaker 2: in other springs, because we have this cycle in politics
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  Speaker 2: where a change of government or a change of leader
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  Speaker 2: means the change of policies and programs, and that really
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  Speaker 2: detrimentally affects the way that we're able to heal the
• 8:17
  Speaker 2: traumas in our communities and the legacy of mistakes in
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  Speaker 2: the past. So we'll also make a big.
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  Speaker 1: Difference, Thomas, I know that you know that afterwards has
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  Speaker 1: obviously happened with the situation in Alice Springs. There's also
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  Speaker 1: been that discussion that some of our you know, some
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  Speaker 1: of our really strong Indigenous voices weren't actually being heard
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  Speaker 1: by the government.
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, and I think the Voice will make a big difference.
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  Speaker 2: So let's think about the way that the alcohol laws recently,
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  Speaker 2: you know, changed and the issues that came out of that.
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  Speaker 2: If there was a representative body for Indigenous people where
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  Speaker 2: we were able to choose representatives from our community and
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  Speaker 2: with the resources and ability to come together and work
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  Speaker 2: out what the best advice to the government would have
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  Speaker 2: been about how to you know, because the laws are
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  Speaker 2: sunset it right, that's why there was change, But we
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  Speaker 2: could have been ahead of it and it wouldn't have
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  Speaker 2: been a last minute panic. You see, governments, politicians, people
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  Speaker 2: in the broader electorates have different priorities. They have other
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  Speaker 2: things that they need to priorities that come up, and
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  Speaker 2: an Indigenous voice can work on our priorities and simply
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  Speaker 2: help the government to get things right before they make
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  Speaker 2: the mistakes that often happen. I've voice would be a
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  Speaker 2: major factor in better policy and laws. That is a
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  Speaker 2: major factor then on what happens on the ground and
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  Speaker 2: the way that our communities are able to live.
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  Speaker 1: Thomas, before I let you go, and I am keen
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  Speaker 1: to stay in contact and speak to you again throughout
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  Speaker 1: the year as the campaign continues on.
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  Speaker 3: But before I let you.
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  Speaker 1: Go, I do want to ask, do you worry that
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  Speaker 1: you know that as this campaign ticks along, that it's
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  Speaker 1: going to see division within the country.
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  Speaker 2: I think that this is a unifying reform. I think
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  Speaker 2: that it's time that we recognize our indigenous culture and
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  Speaker 2: heritage I think it's time to, you know, for our
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  Speaker 2: children to no longer be burdened by our colonial past
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  Speaker 2: and you know the legacy of failed policies and harmful laws.
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  Speaker 2: I know that this is going to be tough. I
• 10:29
  Speaker 2: know that there are going to be people that are
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  Speaker 2: going to try and divide the community over this. But
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  Speaker 2: as I said, it's a simple uniting reform that we
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  Speaker 2: should recognize Indigenous people with the fairness of a voice
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  Speaker 2: to give advice about the decisions that are made about us.
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  Speaker 3: That's all it is, Thomas May.
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  Speaker 1: I really appreciate your time this morning. Thank you very
• 10:48
  Speaker 1: much for taking the time to have a chat with us.
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  Speaker 1: And like I said, I'm keen to stay in contact
• 10:52
  Speaker 1: and try to get some pretty regular updates if you're
• 10:55
  Speaker 1: happy to do that as well.
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  Speaker 2: Thanks lot, Katie, I'd love that.
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  Speaker 3: Thank you, thanks for your time.
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  Speaker 1: This more than