ESJ Week: Looking beyond the Voice to Parliament Referendum
This Tuesday, join us for informed discussion on the future of the Voice to Parliament and the referendum campaign.
11 August 2023
This Tuesday, join Rueben Berg, Co-Chair of the First People’s Assembly of Victoria, Professor Melissa Castan, Director, Castan Centre for Human Rights Law and other panellists for an informed discussion on the future of the Voice to Parliament and the referendum campaign.
Date: Tuesday 15 August 2023
Time: 5:00 pm - 7:00 pm AEST
Venue: Banquet Hall Level 1, 21 Chancellors Walk Monash University, VIC 3800
This event is part of MSA’s Environment and Social Justice Week (ESJ Week). Presented alongside MSA Indigenous.
In a matter of months, the First Nations Voice to Parliament referendum will be upon the Australian people. As the first referendum to occur since 1999 – the first in many university students' lifetimes – it will be a historic occasion. Its proposals are equally historic, representing the destination of reform for the Australian constitutional legal system which has been decades in the making. But what would be the timbre of such a Voice?
The Monash Student Association, in conjunction with the Progressive Law Network and the Castan Centre for Human Rights Law, are mutually committed to ensuring that before we head to the polling booths, students and community members alike are informed of its ins and outs: the constitutional law realities, the history behind the Uluru Statement from the Heart and the referendum proposal, its legal and political implications, where it sits within the broader quest for structural reform and Indigenous justice, sovereignty and self-determination, and the reasons driving the process which have been put forward by First Nations people.
We will be joined by a diverse panel of First Nations leaders at the heart of the journey towards Voice, Treaty and Truthtelling, constitutional law experts, and those with close insight into the potential impact of this referendum. Recognising that this referendum is not the end of the line no matter the result, we will be able to leave this event together knowing whether it would be a positive first step. Together we will better understand what we could expect from a future with a constitutionally enshrined First Nations Voice to Parliament.
MSA ESJ is a department of the student union. Here at ESJ we organise campaigns, events, resources & actions to further students’ understanding and involvement in environment and social justice issues. We are passionate about championing sustainability at a University level, pushing Monash to take strong action to combat the imminent climate emergency, and pushing social inclusivity through advocacy.
ESJ Week is our major project for Semester 2, so we hope you enjoy any events that you sign up for.
In the meantime, give MSA a follow on Instagram @msa.esj or like the “MSA Environment and Social Justice” Page on Facebook.
If you have any questions please send the ESJ Office Bearers, Louis and Mariam, an email at: msa-esj@monash.edu
For accessibility, we will have staff trained in the sunflower scheme, and the option of quiet spaces will be available for anyone who may need them. The space is wheelchair accessible. If you have any accessibility questions or requirements, please email MSA.
MSA acknowledges the traditional custodians of the lands on which this event will be held, the Bunurong peoples of the Kulin Nations. We pay our respects to their elders, past, present and emerging. Sovereignty was never ceded. Always was, always will be Aboriginal land.
This event is run by the Monash Student Association.
Learn more
Researchers at the Castan Centre for Human Rights Law continue to compile timely factsheets, articles, publications, and multimedia content on our First Nations Voice to Parliament Resources Website. This resource space is focused on supporting and responding to the Uluru Statement from the Heart, offering easily accessible public educational materials and thorough legal analyses to keep you well-informed throughout this year. We work closely with the William Cooper Institute and Monash University to highlight our contributions to a democratic referendum. For more information on Monash University’s commitment see monash.edu/voice.