The Voice to Parliament proposal is an important step in Australia’s responsibility in contributing to bringing our First Nations people closer to the forums where policy is debated, formulated and implemented.
Over the course of the year, ACoP has been canvassing our Member Organisations to elicit their views on The Voice so we can meaningfully consider a position on this matter.
We thank our Members who have shared their thoughts, approach and sentiments, public statements of support, carefully deliberated options as well as requests for ACoP’s leadership to inform the conversations of ACoP Member Organisations with their professional communities.
Strong professions are evidence-based, expert and ethical and as individual professionals we deeply believe that good policy should always be informed by those with lived experience and expertise. This is the core purpose of the Voice to Parliament, that policies of government should also be informed by the wisdom of Indigenous Australians.
As a collective body of Australia’s professions, we commend the intent of the Voice proposal as an essential and professionally consistent ideal that exemplifies the collective heart and humanity of all professions. Context may vary amongst professions, but we encourage all professionals to inform themselves of the matter to be determined in the upcoming referendum.
ACoP also continues to support the reconciliation process and calls on you, our Member Organisations and your member professionals to be exemplars of truth-telling, accountability and responsibility. Consistent with this year’s Reconciliation Week theme to ‘Be a Voice for Generations’, we believe that reconciliation needs concrete action.
We therefore encourage all to imagine a future where deep experience, expertise and humanity shape all of our policy decisions.
If you don’t know, ask an expert. Ask us.