Picture: AAP
Speak with one voice, party leaders told is an article by Paige Taylor in THE AUSTRALIAN 20 January 2023.
The article omits the detail that the indigenous advisory body known as Empowered Communities has been supported by the government and funded by the Australian tax-payer since 2013.
Aboriginal leaders from across the nation have asked Anthony Albanese and Peter Dutton to forge a political consensus on what an indigenous voice to Parliament could look like.
The strongly worded request comes from Empowered Communities, a group of Aboriginal leaders who make joint decisions with government about their communities. Empowered Communities is an indigenous advisory body and part of the National Indigenous Australians Agency, an Australian Government office.
Refer to https://www.niaa.gov.au
Cape York Partnership director Noel Pearson helped 10 indigenous leaders establish Empowered Communities in 2013 as a collaboration with government. In 2014 the Australian Government provided $5 million to the leaders to complete a design report. Over six years up to 30 June 2022, the Government has provided $31 million to fund the ‘backbone organisations’ in eight regions across Australia.
The aims of Empowered Communities include joint decision making that ensures expenditure is used more productively and meets local needs. The chairman of Empowered Communities – and 12 more of the organisation’s leaders, wrote to the Prime Minister and the Opposition Leader, urging them to work together.
The leaders of Empowered Communities say:
“The operational details of the voice will be set out in legislation in due course following a referendum. The details of the model are to be determined by the Parliament and changes will be made from time to time as required. The debate about the detail belongs in the Parliament, … We want this structural change so we can help drive the reforms needed to achieve practical outcomes – to overcome the scourge of entrenched and intergenerational addiction, poverty, violence, joblessness, and other aspects of our disadvantage … . We have complete confidence that if Australians support our constitutional recognition in 2023, we have something very positive to offer that will benefit all Australians. Through our partnership, together we can continue to grow and learn so we all share a stronger, brighter Australian future.”