Council to Homeless Persons is proud to back the “yes” campaign on the Voice

As an organisation, Council to Homeless Persons has long acknowledged that the significant over-representation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples in the numbers of people without a home is a direct and enduring consequence of colonisation.

In a State where one in every six Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Victorians will experience homelessness this year, CHP is committed to reconciliation, and to achieving self-determination. Through self-determination, we can bring the rate of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander homelessness down.

As our statement on “Our vision of reconciliation” reads:

Reconciliation includes Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples determining the solutions and programs required to meet their own needs.

In 2017, the Uluru Statement from the Heart invited the Australian people to walk with First Nations Peoples for a better future, including a First Nations Voice giving First Nations Peoples a say in policies and laws that affect them.

CHP believes that a constitutionally enshrined Voice is important and will permanently protect First Nations advice to Parliament and Government on matters relating to them.

Self-determination underpins CHP’s work in the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander homelessness space. We believe that Constitutional change to embed self-determination into practice for Australia’s Parliament and Government is the right approach for the Nation.

We encourage all of you to ask questions and be informed on this important issue. Sites such as Uluru Statement from the Heart and Yes23 provide great information on what the Voice is and provide answers to frequently asked questions, helping to clarify myths and misconceptions.

This referendum will be a significant milestone in Australia’s long, long history, which started more than 60,000 years ago.

We ask that you join us in saying “Yes” to an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice to Parliament.