Willum Warrain says Yes to the Voice

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese announced his intention to hold a referendum on constitutional recognition of First Australians via the Voice in July last year. From that moment on, Willum Warrain Aboriginal Association in Hastings has been campaigning for a Yes vote.

Willum Warrain CEO Uncle Peter Aldenhoven said: “We realised, sitting behind this modest but important proposal, a significant educative process was required for both our Aboriginal and broader community locally.” With the board’s full support, Willum Warrain ran the first of two cultural forums on the Voice. At the forum, Uncle Peter provided background on referendums in Australia and how Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples have for decades been asking for a say on policies affecting their lives.

Willum Warrain was buoyed to receive a grant from the Australian Communities Foundation to progress its Yes campaign. In response to repeated community requests for more information on the Voice, a second forum was held. Reuben Berg, from the First Peoples’ Assembly, joined Uncle Peter and Willum Warrain president Jeanette Kaindel to discuss the Victorian Treaty process and how it provided context for the Voice referendum. Reuben, now co-chair of the Assembly – which is comparable to the proposed Voice mechanism – dispelled concerns about the Voice and explained how the Treaty process was creating hope and possibility in the lives of Indigenous Victorians.

Willum Warrain’s biggest Voice-related event so far was its annual Reconciliation Walk in June. More than 1200 people walked in bright sunshine in support of the Voice. “It was a profound and uplifting experience for mob and allies alike,” Uncle Peter said.

Dozens of community groups, agencies and corporate bodies take part in cultural awareness training with Uncle Peter throughout the year. He has received lots of positive feedback about how informative and helpful discussions on the Voice during the training have been. In particular, hearing that at least 80 per cent of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people support the Voice has allayed some of the concerns of non-Indigenous people, knowing that First Australians have been asking for the Voice for decades, including most recently in the Uluru Statement from the Heart.

Willum Warrain has given its best efforts to the nationwide campaign to get the Voice over the line. “Our Aboriginal community hopes the best version of our nation will once again be revealed like it was in the 1967 referendum,” Uncle Peter said. “Our shared future depends on it.”