Prime Minister Anthony Albanese wants Australians to be inspired by two animals who never go backwards, the emu and the kangaroo.
Speaking at the Garma festival in northeast Arnhem Land in the Northern Territory on Saturday, Albanese said the upcoming referendum on an Indigenous voice for parliament was a powerful call to action.
WATCH THE VIDEO ABOVE: Prime Minister Anthony Albanese explains how the Voice to parliament will work.
Watch the latest news on Channel 7 or stream for free on 7plus >>
“The referendum is about whether we retreat into ourselves or have the courage to advance forward, like the kangaroo and the emu on our national crest,” he said.
“Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people have been so clear, the form of constitutional recognition they are asking for is a Voice, a vehicle for progress.
“Not just something that makes people feel good, something that will do good, make a positive difference.”
Also speaking at Garma, Aboriginal activist and community leader Noel Pearson called on Australians to unite by voting ‘yes’ in the referendum, which will be held later this year.
“Yes’ will recognise Indigenous people in the constitution but the bigger project is one of understanding who Australian people are,” he said.
“What’s our history, where do we come from, who we are in the present and what do we want to leave to our children?”
Pearson said a successful referendum would entwine three cultural histories together — Indigenous, British and multicultural.
“Australia is going to put behind it the idea of settler versus natives when it recognises Indigenous people as Australian,” he said.
Pearson also laid down the challenge to Garma attendees to take a message of strength and hope about the referendum when they go back home.
“We’re going to love them on the beaches, love them at every front door, on football pitches, every railway station, we’re going to leave no stone unturned,” he said.
“We’re going to add a little bit of soul to our founding document.”
The Garma festival is the nation’s biggest Indigenous cultural gathering and is hosted by the Yothu Yindi Foundation on Gumatj country.
This year’s Garma has inspired a powerful alliance of land councils to gather as a united voice on issues that affect Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples in northern Australia.
The alliance, which includes the four Aboriginal land councils of the NT, plus Cape York and the Kimberley, said the Voice referendum was the best opportunity for Australians to create the greatest turning point in the lives of Indigenous people and the nation’s identity.
“This is the opportunity to give Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples a Voice and with it the ability to influence governments on the policies and programs which affect them,” they said in a statement.
“If successful, the referendum will provide a path to a truly united nation, one with a shared history and culture, one where Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples receive necessary recognition in the nation’s founding documents.”
Albanese paid tribute to the late Gumatj leader and land rights champion Yunupingu, a stalwart of the Yothu Yindi Foundation.
He said when he announced the referendum at Garma last year, he made a personal promise to Yunupingu.
“In Yunupingu’s words the reason why a voice is needed in the constitution is to ensure the substance of recognition has the stability to achieve lasting unity,” he said.
“Yes, we can make history, but more importantly we can shape the future.
“Vote yes in the spirit of unity, optimism and hope.
“We can bring this country together with our hearts and heads, referendum day has the power to reach out for a better Australia, something we can seize together, yes to recognition, yes to a voice and yes to a better future for all of us.”
If you’d like to view this content, please adjust your .
To find out more about how we use cookies, please see our Cookie Guide.