General News
19 September, 2023
Local group rally for yes vote
WITH only four weeks until the national referendum, a group of residents have gotten behind a local campaign to support a Voice to Parliament.
WITH only four weeks until the national referendum, a group of residents have gotten behind a local campaign to support a Voice to Parliament.
‘Corangamite for Yes’ co-ordinator Belinda Bennett said the group formed to spread the word about the ‘yes’ vote amongst Corangamite communities.
“We started from a small group of people meeting at the local pub to talk about what we could do to support a Voice to Parliament,’ she said.
“In just a few short weeks, we’ve grown to over 100 followers on Facebook and so far have around 30 volunteers signed up to support local campaign activities.
“We’ve got a stall set up outside of Woolworths Camperdown every Saturday morning, volunteers are letterboxing in towns across the shire and we held a ‘Walk for Yes’ event in Port Campbell on the
weekend which was attended by 60 people.”
Ms Bennett said the group wanted to share information about a ‘yes’ vote so voters could make an informed decision on polling day.
“Á lot of people are understandably confused about the referendum,” she said.
“Put simply, a yes vote will mean that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people will have a say on matters that affect their communities through an independent advisory group.
“Including the Voice in the Constitution means that it cannot be taken away no matter who the government is. Parliament will however still have the final decision on policies and law.”
“The referendum is a once in a lifetime opportunity to make a big step towards meaningful reconciliation. We hope that we can seize this opportunity and get a ‘yes’ for Corangamite”.
For more information about the group, search for ‘Corangamite for Yes’ on Facebook or visit www.yes23.com.au/local_yes_groups.