Southside Justice supports Yes
Southside Justice supports the Yes vote to embed an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice to Parliament within our Constitution in the 2023 referendum, and to implement the Uluru Statement from the Heart in full.
We acknowledge the decades of First Nations’ leadership, strength, resilience and continued hard work in which the Uluru Statement from the Heart represents. Our hope is that the Voice to Parliament will empower and increase the involvement of First Nations communities in decisions that affect their lives. We hope that it supports the continued work towards truth, justice and treaty, and the recognition that First Nations’ sovereignty has never been ceded.
We also acknowledge the continued devastation caused by colonisation, systemic discrimination, and racism. These harms are particularly prominent within the legal system. We support the empowerment and involvement of First Nations communities in decisions that affect their lives to achieve a better future. However, we also recognise and respect the diversity of views on how truth, justice and treaty can be achieved in this country.
Finally, we want to acknowledge the burdensome impact the Voice campaign is having on First Nations’ communities and make this statement to show our support and to stand in solidarity with you. Southside Justice commits to continuing to learn and work with First Nations people and Aboriginal Community Controlled Organisations and promote cultural safety within our own service.