The AARE Executive wishes to make the following statement:
In 2023 the Australian people will be asked to vote in a referendum that proposes to amend the Constitution to establish an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice to Parliament. This will be an independent, representative advisory body for First Nations people. The Uluru Statement from the Heart (2017) sought such constitutional reform ‘to empower our people to take a rightful place in our own country.’
The Executive of the Australian Association for Research in Education supports informed and respectful discussion of the referendum and acknowledges and respects that members of the Association will hold diverse views.
We also recognise that debates around the referendum have become increasingly hostile, and we offer our support to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and communities, regardless of their position on the referendum.
We recognise that at the 2019 AARE Conference in Brisbane, AARE members voted unanimously to support the Uluru Statement from the Heart, and that the ‘voices of First Nations peoples are heard when special laws are made about them under the powers of the constitution.’
We are committed to upholding the principles expressed in AARE’s Statement of Reconciliation, in the Preamble to our own constitution, and the overwhelming support for the Uluru Statement from the Heart.
For these reasons, the AARE Executive supports a ‘Yes’ vote in the referendum.
Regards,
AARE Executive Committee
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