Caritas Australia has offered its support to the creation of a First Nations Voice to Parliament to be enshrined in the Constitution.
Christine Rhazi, a proud Yamatji Widi woman from Geraldton, Western Australia, and Caritas Australia’s Associate Director for First Australian Programs, said:
“The Uluru Statement from the Heart invited all Australians to walk together towards justice. We have wholeheartedly accepted this invitation and we strive to walk in union and solidarity with our First Australian partners and communities across our land. We fully support the call for Voice, Treaty and Truth.
“It is clear that a constitutionally enshrined Indigenous Voice will provide a necessary platform for consultation with First Australians on a local level. For First Australian communities to flourish, we must ensure that all people have the right to participate in the decisions that impact their lives and those of future generations. First Australians have the solutions, and it is time for everyone else to listen.”
Caritas Australia said it “decries the unacceptable gap between First Australians and other Australians across every measure of wellbeing, including financial, social, physical and mental health”.
“We must invest in our First Australian communities, and close the gap in wellbeing and other outcomes, but we also know that these decisions must be made with, rather than for First Australians in order for them to be effective. The time has come for First Australians to be empowered to make the decisions that affect their lives, because we do have the answers,” Ms Rhazi said.
Details: https://www.caritas.org.au/act/with-first-australians/
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*The Uncles prefer for their names to be provided with the numbers that they were addressed by instead of names in the notorious Kinchela Boys Home in Kempsey, New South Wales
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Caritas Australia expresses support for Voice to Parliament (Caritas Australia)
