Pledge Your Yes

Responding to the Invitation of the Uluru Statement from the Heart

In May 2017, over 250 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander leaders issued an invitation to the Australian people via The Uluru Statement from the Heart.

We believe it’s vital for Welcoming Australia to respond to the invitation.

We were invited to walk alongside them and create a better future as they strive for voice, treaty and truth. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities have called for constitutional recognition through a voice to Parliament.

The upcoming national referendum is our chance to respond to that invitation and call.

At Welcoming Australia, we acknowledge the foundational importance of learning to listen to the voices of the First Peoples of this country. Failure to listen to Indigenous knowledge and experience has had terrible consequences in the past and perpetuates ongoing injustice. Something has to change. A ‘yes’ vote in the referendum won’t change everything, but it’s a positive step forward.

If First Nations communities are represented in shaping national policies, then there’ll be better outcomes in housing, health and more, because First Nations people know what’s best for their communities.

If an overwhelming majority of people write Yes in the upcoming referendum, governments will be forced to enact the policies that First Nations people have been calling for.

Listening to the voices of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples begins by supporting their call for constitutional recognition through a voice to Parliament.