Submission to the Inquiry into the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice Referendum

PIAC made a brief submission to the Inquiry into the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice Referendum.

PIAC strongly supports the wording of proposed new Chapter IX, section 129 in the Constitution Alteration (Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice) 2023 (‘the Bill’). The proposal is constitutionally sound, gives effect to the historic consensus of the Uluru Statement from the Heart and will practically advance the human rights of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.

PIAC’s submission notes: the significance of the Bill’s response to the Uluru Statement from the Heart; the importance of the Voice’s ability to advise both the Parliament and the Executive; the Constitutional soundness of the proposal; and the proposal’s compatibility with Australia’s international human rights obligations.