On Saturday 14 October we, the people of Australia, are invited to recognise the First Peoples of Australia through an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice enshrined in our constitution.
What can each of us do, with only days to go?
We can have conversations with everyone possible in the next few days.
We in the transition/sustainability movement believe in the power of envisioning the future we wish to see and then working together to make it happen.
So … in the face of depressing reports on polling trends, I’m focusing on envisioning an amazing turnaround in the just these last few days, when the thousands of people who support the Voice had conversations with family, neighbours, friends, acquaintances, strangers … and … there was a surge in the YES vote and people will talk about this for years to come. How we the people can collectively create a remarkable change. We CAN turn things around.
For example, indigenous rapper Briggs has created a short video that has gone viral since it launched the other day: view it and share it. It’s really catching on with the younger generation. It uses humour around the arguments that the Voice “doesn’t go far enough” and/or “it goes too far”.
Why support YES?
Tim Drylie, founder of Transition Creswick and currently a Hepburn Shire Councillor, says it so eloquently that we heartily endorse these words as speaking for Transition Australia as well:
I urge everyone, irrespective of your political inclinations, to reflect deeply on the importance of this moment. Let us set aside partisan politics and recognise this for what it truly is: a chance for healing, for unity, and for a future where the First Nations people are equal participants in the story of our nation.
As a member of this community and as your representative on Council, I have always believed in and demonstrated the importance of a just, inclusive, and sustainable future. Voting ‘yes’ for the Voice to Parliament is a monumental step in that direction.
His full speech to Hepburn Shire is reprinted on our website here https://transitionaustralia.net/hepburn-shire-supports-the-voice/
Thank you Tim and thank you each and every one of you doing your bit for a socially just world.
