Through the upcoming Voice to Parliament referendum, Australians are being asked to vote to amend the Australian Constitution to recognise Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and ensure they have a say on the laws that impact their communities.

This referendum is about constitutional recognition and voice.

Why is the QNMU supporting the Voice to Parliament?

Because that was the outcome of the QNMU’s fair democratic processes

• The QNMU First Nations Branch reached a consensus through a democratic process to support the Uluru Statement from the Heart in full in 2019 (Voice, Treaty, Truth). 
• This includes the referendum for a Voice to Parliament (Voice), a Makarrata Commission to supervise the making of agreements or treaties (Treaty), and a process to oversee truth telling for our nation (Truth). 
• Delegates at Annual Conference – who represent the views of their QNMU Local Branch – endorsed the Uluru Statement from the Heart in 2020, and it was then ratified by Council. 
• All Delegates and Councillors are democratically elected by the general QNMU membership. 

Because closing the health gap is nursing and midwifery business

• Just as health policy and legislation are always stronger when nurses and midwives are consulted on decisions that impact their work, so too are health outcomes improved when Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people have a voice on decisions that impact their communities.
• Recent and current Closing the Gap measurers indicate that the gap is not closing – meaning what we are doing right now to address Indigenous disadvantage in health, education, housing and jobs is not working.
• Evidence shows that when Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people have a seat at the table and play an active role in solving the challenges and issues their communities face, the whole community sees better outcomes.

Because social justice has and always will be union business

• Social justice is and has always been union business, and the Australian union movement is committed to supporting the Uluru Statement from the Heart. 
• Giving people a voice is a core union value – as union members, we know how important it is for people on the ground to have a say on the things that impact them, and we know how badly things go when people in power don’t listen to us. By enshrining Voice in the constitution, we are seeking to ensure that voice will not be abolished by governments who do not care to listen.
• The 1967 referendum – where Australians overwhelmingly voted to change the constitution to recognise Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as part of the Australian population – was won in partnership with the union movement, and we continue to support this social justice agenda.

Because the majority of First Nations people support it

• Multiple polls of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples show 80-87% support for the Uluru Statement from the Heart and the Voice to Parliament. 
• The largest, most diverse and representative poll shows 83% of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples are in support of a Voice to Parliament.

You can read more about the Voice to Parliament referendum on the QNMU website here.