It's time for Australians to start talking about the referendum to enshrine an Indigenous voice to parliament in the constitution ahead of the expected launches of the yes and no campaigns early in the new year, special envoy Pat Dodson says.
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His comments came after the Referendum Working Group gathered for the fourth time and the Referendum Engagement Group for the second time at Parliament House in Canberra this week.
The groups met Minister for Indigenous Australians and Wiradjuri woman Linda Burney, Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus, Special Envoy for Reconciliation and the Implementation of the Uluru Statement from the Heart, Senator Dodson, and Assistant Minister for Indigenous Australians Malarndirri McCarthy.
Ms Burney says the referendum to enshrine an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice to Parliament in the Australian Constitution is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to unite the nation.
But opposition Indigenous spokesman Julian Leeser says Labor still needs to provide more detail before the vote is held in this term of the federal government.
Senator Dodson, a Yawuru man, told AAP the main barrier to a successful referendum was misinformation.
"People were misinformed about the impact of the provision that will be put into the constitution and about the scope of the advice the voice will be able to provide," he said.
"It won't give First Nations people special rights above anyone else and there's no veto capacity."
Ms Burney said the government was committed to a referendum in the 2023/24 financial year and she expects the yes campaign will be launched in the next few months.
"The voice is all about improving the lives of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians in practical ways, like health, education and housing," she said.
"This is a once in a generation opportunity to unite Australians and take this country forward to a better future."
Mr Leeser said the government needed to answer important questions about how the voice would work.
"The government needs to provide more detail on how the representatives will be selected and what powers and functions a voice will have," he said.
"Australians want detail, they want to understand what it is they're going to vote for."
Working Group member Tony McAvoy SC, a Wirdi man, believes Australians support the constitutional recognition the voice will give.
"We need to ensure that they feel comfortable enough to vote that way at a referendum," he said.
"Once the wording of a question and the proposed amendment to the constitution is settled upon, then there will be a much more important role for lawyers - in particular, First Nations lawyers, such as myself - to help the public understand what the impact of the changes will be."
In July, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese released a draft of the referendum question: "Do you support an alteration to the constitution that establishes an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice?"
"If the referendum is successful, it'll be a great thing," Senator Dodson said.
"It will send a message that Australians want the First Nations people to have a voice to the parliament on matters that are going to affect them.
"Australians need to start talking to each other, connecting about the words of the prime minister and about the significance of having a voice and the importance of First Nations people having a say over policies that are going to affect our lives and, we hope, will improve a lot of social outcomes."
The Referendum Working Group and Referendum Engagement Group will meet again early in the new year.
Australian Associated Press
