NACCHO Aboriginal Health #UluruStatement #StatementFromtheHeart #firstNationsVoice : Final report of the Joint Select Committee on Constitutional Recognition

” The Joint Select Committee on Constitutional Recognition relating to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples has presented its final report to the Parliament.

The Committee was established in March to consider matters relating to constitutional change, including the recommendations of the Expert Panel, the previous Joint Select Committee, the Statement from the Heart, and the Referendum Council.”

From the APH Website VIEW HERE 

 ” NACCHO Chair Ms Donnella Mills and CEO Pat Turner have welcomed the Joint Parliamentary Committee report on Constitutional Recognition of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander People. However, as the saying goes the devil is in the detail and NACCHO looks forward to what the parliamentary parties and cross benches propose as election commitments.”

Please refer to the NACCHO Press Release 30 Nov PDF for more details

Read / Download Press Release NACCHO Welcomes Report

 ” The Statement from the Heart is one of the most significant documents produced in the history of Reconciliation and, from day one, Labor has been determined to accord the Statement proper respect and thorough consideration.

If elected in 2019, a Shorten Labor Government will move quickly to agree a process together with First Nations people to make the Voice a reality – including a pathway to a referendum.

Labor supports a Voice. We support enshrining it in the Constitution. This is our
first priority for Constitutional change.”

Senator Patrick Dodson From the Labor Party Press Release

Labor Party Press Release

 ” It is well and truly time our governments are held to account in realising our rights, and respond to us by using the Joint Select Committee’s report and this new set of recommendations, so we have a way forward to reconcile and be recognised.

Until then we will not be heard with equal weight and consequence in determining the future of this nation together.

As I’m travelling around the country, I am hearing from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people a strong call for meaningful participation in decisions that affect their lives.

I support the Joint Select Committee’s recommendations for an intensive country-wide Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander-led co-design process to consider the national, regional and local elements of the Voice to parliament.

We must deal with the unfinished business of this country and finally incorporate our voice and rights into the country’s founding document.

What we need now is political leadership to make sure the Joint Select Committee’s recommendations are realised.”

June Oscar AO Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Justice Commissioner

The Greens senator Rachel Siewert has released a minority report taking the view that a referendum should take place before any co-design process.

We disagree that the design of the voice should come first and are disappointed that the majority report is unable even to agree to support constitutional entrenchment of the voice, despite the clear support by First Nations peoples for the voice and constitutional change

From The Greens Press Release see below

The Greens

At the outset, the Committee understood and acknowledged that the Statement from the Heart was a significant turning point in the discussion about the constitutional recognition of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.

As such, the Committee focussed its efforts on the central proposal for constitutional change made in the Statement from the Heart—the proposal for a First Nations Voice.

The Committee has also been mindful of the need to ensure that its recommendations are legitimate and acceptable to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, the Parliament, and, ultimately, the Australian people.

In its interim report, the Committee considered the proposal for a Voice in detail, and since July the Committee continued to seek the views of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and others about how best to achieve constitutional recognition.

In its final report, the Committee endorses the proposal for a Voice. The Committee recommends a process of co-design between government and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples to determine the detail of the Voice, to conclude within the term of the 46th Parliament.

The Committee further recommends that the appropriate legal form of the Voice be determined following this process of co-design.

The Committee considers that these recommendations are significant steps for the Parliament to discuss and consider, and significant steps towards a bipartisan and agreed approach to advancing the cause of constitutional recognition.

The Committee also makes recommendations in relation to truth-telling about Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander history, traditions, and culture. The Committee hopes that a fuller understanding of Australia’s history will lead to a more reconciled nation.

List of recommendations

Recommendation 1

In order to achieve a design for The Voice that best suits the needs and aspirations of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, the Committee recommends that the Australian Government initiate a process of co-design with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.
The co-design process should:
  • consider national, regional and local elements of The Voice and how they interconnect;
  • be conducted by a group comprising a majority of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, and officials or appointees of the Australian Government;
  • be conducted on a full-time basis and engage with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities and organisations across Australia, including remote, regional, and urban communities;
  • outline and discuss possible options for the local, regional, and national elements of The Voice, including the structure, membership, functions, and operation of The Voice, but with a principal focus on the local bodies and regional bodies and their design and implementation;
  • consider the principles, models, and design questions identified by this Committee as a starting point for consultation documents; and
  • report to the Government within the term of the 46th Parliament with sufficient time to give The Voice legal form.

Recommendation 2

The Committee recommends that, following a process of co-design, the Australian Government consider, in a deliberate and timely manner, legislative, executive and constitutional options to establish The Voice.

Recommendation 3

The Committee recommends that the Australian Government support the process of truth-telling. This could include the involvement of local organisations and communities, libraries, historical societies and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander associations. Some national coordination may be required, not to determine outcomes but to provide incentive and vision. These projects should include both Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and descendants of local settlers. This could be done either prior to or after the establishment of the local voice bodies.

Recommendation 4

The Committee also recommends that the Australian Government consider the establishment, in Canberra, of a National Resting Place, for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander remains which could be a place of commemoration, healing and reflection

The Committee acknowledges and thanks everyone who participated in the inquiry, including those who made written submissions and gave evidence at public hearings around Australia.

The final report is available on the Committee’s website at: www.aph.gov.au/jsccr.

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