We’ve been busy campaigning in our local communities. This newsletter includes updates on the campaign, as well as other interesting resources and events.
Yes23 events around Canberra
The date to vote for the referendum has not been set but there are increasing opportunities to learn more about the Voice to Parliament.
NAIDOC in the North
Thank you to the Belconnen Arts Centre and Yerrabi Yurwang Child and Family Aboriginal Corporation for organising the event held on Saturday 8 July. We spoke to the community about the Voice to Parliament and recognition of First Nations peoples in the constitution. People were aware of the referendum, with questions about the proposal or how to help support the campaign. We had great success selling books, including Voice to Parliament by Thomas Mayo and Kerry O’Brien. We sold many Yes23 Campaign t-shirts, which can also be found in the Yes23 shop.
Cooleman Court
ANTaR members and Yes23 volunteers were at Cooleman Court in Weston on Saturday 22 July speaking with the local residents.
Would you like to help with the Yes campaign but you don’t know where to start?
There are a variety of ways you can support and promote the Yes campaign.
- Groups can apply for grants (from $1,000 to $15,000) for community led activities: Yes23 Grants.
- You can donate to the campaign, through Yes23 Donations or the Uluru Dialogues at UNSW.
- You can become a volunteer to help in campaigning, at stalls, door knocking or through the phone bank to call people. You can also use your social media presence to share campaigns, events and resources. See more at: Yes23 Actions.
- You can attend an event and increase your understanding of the Voice to Parliament – see our list here, or check out Yes23 Events.
Event: ANU The Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice: A dialogue
A special event designed for students and people interested in learning more about the upcoming Voice Referendum (open to the public). The panel will include Senator Jana Stewart, Labor Senator for Victoria; Senator Andrew Bragg, Liberal Senator for NSW; Dean Parkin – Director, From the Heart; Sally Scales – Partnership Manager, Uluru Statement from the Heart; Professor Megan Davis, Pro Vice-Chancellor Indigenous UNSW and Co-Chair Uluru Statement from the Heart. At Llewellyn Hall, ANU, Wednesday 2 August, 5pm – tickets via Eventbrite.
Events: University of Canberra – The Voice to Parliament Lecture Series
- Closing the Gap with Pat Turner, this is the second lecture in UC’s Voice to Parliament series, at The Shine Dome, Acton, on Thursday 10 August, 5:30pm – tickets via Eventbrite.
- Voice to Parliament with Thomas Mayo and Shane Howard – at the Members’ Dining Room, Old Parliament House, Tuesday 22 August, 5:15pm – tickets via Eventbrite.
Event: Linked Hands for Yes, 1500 residents of North Woden intend to join hands along a 1.5km line. The line will start at an ancient Red Gum at the base of Red Hill, flow down Carruthers St and end at the Curtin shops, a hub of our present community. Saturday 26 August from 11:55am – 2pm. For more information, see Yes23 – Linked Hands for Yes.
Resources: Factchecking the Yes and No pamphlets
The Australian Electoral Commission has published the Yes and No pamphlets as provided – Yes/No case pamphlet – Australian Electoral Commission (aec.gov.au). Media fact checkers have reviewed these, and you can see their assessments below. These links and more are available on the Learning about the Voice page on our website.
- The Yes and No arguments have been published without fact checking. Here’s what you need to know – ABC News
- We gave the Voice to Parliament pamphlets to fact checkers. Here’s what they said | SBS News
- The yes pamphlet – annotated and factchecked | The Guardian and The no pamphlet – annotated and factchecked | The Guardian
Other resources and events of interest
Resource: Behind the scenes: How Ngunnawal language is being brought back to life – The RiotACT article published 10 July. The Ngunnawal language will have its own dictionary and could be taught in Canberran schools.
Event: “Walanbaa Yulu-gi” Burn the Floor featuring Mitch Tambo, world renowned Australian ballroom dance company Burn the Floor collaborates with Indigenous star Mitch Tambo to create a brand-new dance production at the Canberra Theatre, Wednesday 9 August 7:30pm – tickets via Canberra Theatre Centre.
Event: Looking back, moving forward: Caring for land and Country – Australian Academy of Science lecture series
Hear from our speakers Ms Shandell Cummings and Dr Fiona Walsh about how they are both working to integrate Traditional knowledges with non-Indigenous science to care for land and Country. Tuesday 8 August, 6-7pm, The Shine Dome Canberra (refreshments from 5.30) and online – more information and tickets via the Academy.
Event: Tasting Australia with Adam Shipp – Kennedy Garden tours and tea
Join a seasonal walk through the National Museum’s Christina and Trevor Kennedy Garden, a living museum of First Nations food and medicine plants from across Australia. Enjoy the sights and scents of the season as Adam Shipp (Wiradjuri) of Yurbay Consultancies shares his passion for native plants. Each tour finishes with the opportunity to sample some of the flavours found in the Kennedy Garden and around the Canberra region. Friday 11 and Saturday 12 August (also dates in November and 2024) – more information and tickets via the National Museum.
ANTaR ACT Committee: We welcome anyone to join us in organising activities and discussing current issues at our monthly online meeting, with the next on Monday 14 August at 6pm. Email us at info@antaract.org.au to find out how you can get involved or get a link for our monthly meeting.
Authorised for ANTaR ACT by Janet Hunt, Dickson, ACT.
ANTaR ACT wish to acknowledge the traditional custodians of the land on which Canberra is situated, the Ngunnawal and Ngambri people. We wish to acknowledge and respect their continuing culture and the contribution they make to the life of this city and this region. We would also like to acknowledge other Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people who may visit this area.