Supplementary Submission to the Commonwealth Parliamentary Inquiry into Constitutional Recognition of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples
PIAC’s submission reiterated our support the Uluru Statement from the Heart, including its three calls for:
- Voice: a First Nations Voice to Parliament enshrined in the Constitution
- Treaty: a process for agreement making, and
- Truth: truth-telling about our history.
We also expressed our support for the process of consultation, led by Indigenous people from around Australia, that led to its adoption.
Based on these principles, PIAC called for the process to answer questions about the function, operation, structure and membership of the Voice to involve Regional Dialogues based on the process used by the Referendum Council in the lead-up to the Uluru Statement from the Heart.
PIAC also recommended that the Voice to Parliament should be enshrined in the Constitution, rather than legislated, and that the Voice should be the priority for constitutional reform rather than alternatives including a Statement of Recognition or amendments to sections 25 or 51(xxvi) respectively.
Finally, PIAC called for the Commonwealth Government to provide support for the development of a Makarrata Commission, led by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and informed, where relevant, by the experience of truth commissions internationally.
