MCM says Yes to Voice to Parliament

Melbourne City Mission (MCM) recognises the leadership of Victoria’s First Nations Organisations in our community, including the First People’s Assembly of Victoria, VACCHO and VACCA, as they encourage all Australians to vote Yes to a First Nations Voice to Parliament in the upcoming referendum. We also acknowledge the range of views within Australia’s First Nations Communities regarding the referendum and the Voice.

MCM’s purpose is to make a positive difference in the lives of Victorians experiencing disadvantage. We know that First Nations Peoples continue to experience disproportionate disadvantage due to the ongoing impacts of colonisation. As an organisation almost 170 years old, we recognise our part in the long history of colonisation in Victoria.

At MCM, we believe the First Nations Voice to Parliament is a powerful steppingstone in our journey as Australians to heal together, to deeply respect and honour the rights, experiences and futures of our First Nations Peoples.

MCM supports a Yes vote to a constitutionally enshrined Voice and the full realisation of Voice, Truth and Treaty as embodied in the Uluru Statement of the Heart. We encourage our community to listen deeply to our First Nations Peoples and embrace meaningful change in our systems of government, including by voting ‘Yes’ to the establishment of a First Nations Voice to Parliament.

You can find out more here:

• Australian Electoral Commission: 2023 referendum
• Australian Government: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice
• Uluru Statement from the Heart
• Reconciliation Australia: Voice to Parliament
• ABC News: What is the Indigenous Voice to Parliament
• SBS News NITV: Voice Referendum