News Latest News Hepatitis Australia supports an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice to Parliament protected by the Constitution On Wednesday 30 August, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese announced the Voice Referendum will be held on Saturday 14 October 2023. You can find out more about the referendum via the Australian Electoral Commission website. Hepatitis Australia respectfully accepts the generous invitation of the Uluru Statement from the Heart and supports an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice to Parliament enshrined in the Australian Constitution. You can read our Statement of Support for the Uluru Statement from the Heart. This update contains some useful articles and resources about the Uluru Statement from the Heart and the Voice referendum. Members Meeting on the Voice to Parliament Hepatitis Australia will be convening a Members Meeting on Friday 8 September at 12pm AEST to discuss involvement and communications relating to it. Calendar invitations have been issued to Member organisation CEOs. All member staff are welcome. NACCHO: The Significance of the Voice in Closing the Gap Read National Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation (NACCHO) CEO – Pat Turner’s transcript from her lecture to the University of Canberra on the significance of the Voice in improving health outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples. Read more… Australian Human Rights Commission: Voice Referendum: Understanding the referendum from a human rights perspective The Australian Human Rights Commission has produced an educational resource kit to encourage the Australian public to consider the Uluru Statement from the Heart and the Indigenous Voice to Parliament referendum through a human rights lens. Conversations about the referendum and proposed Voice to Parliament have the potential to be harmful for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. The Commission’s Voice referendum resources seek to minimise harm by encouraging cultural humility and focusing the conversation on human rights principles as they relate to the referendum and proposed Voice to Parliament. Read more… Racism. It Stops With Me Campaign Racism. It Stops With Me is a national anti-racism campaign of the Australian Human Rights Commission. It is one of many campaigns and initiatives working to increase awareness of racism and equip more Australians with tools to address it. Hepatitis Australia is a Supporter of the Racism. It Stops with Me Campaign. In a democracy, it’s important that people can express their opinions on key issues, especially those of great national importance. However, it is crucial that these conversations are approached in a way that is factual, is not based on racial stereotypes, does not involve racially denigrating language, and does not cause harm to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. This is particularly important when discussing issues that disproportionately affect certain individuals and communities, such as the referendum for an Indigenous Voice to Parliament. Read more... NITV Article: How can mob look after themselves in the lead up to the referendum “The referendum on the Voice to Parliament has brought with it a lot of emotions - some good, some bad, some eh. To put it mildly, it's been an overwhelming time for mob. In a time full of uncertainty - one thing is for sure: whether the outcome of the referendum is a yes or a no, we need to be there for one another and, most importantly, be there for ourselves.” Read more… Uluru Dialogue: Voice to Parliament Online Course In May 2017, over 250 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander delegates from all points of the Southern Sky gathered issued the Uluru Statement from the Heart to the Australian people, which invited the nation to create a better future for all of Australia. This course explores the first of these proposed reforms: enshrining an Indigenous Voice to Parliament in the Australian Constitution. In the course, you'll discover what is meant by Indigenous Constitutional Recognition through a Voice – and what a Voice to Parliament is, and is not. You will also learn why a Referendum is required to make it happen. Read more… Authorised by C Fowlie, Hepatitis Australia, 4/6b Thesiger Ct, Deakin ACT 2600. Manage Cookie Preferences