Today the Minister for Indigenous Australians, the Attorney General, the Special Envoy for Reconciliation and the Implementation of the Uluru Statement from the Heart, and the Assistant Minister for Indigenous Australians met with the Referendum Engagement Group for the third time.
In opening the meeting, the Minister noted that momentum is building and that significant progress has been made towards a referendum on a constitutionally enshrined Voice to Parliament, to be held later this year.
The Referendum Engagement Group received an update about the ongoing work on the proposed Constitutional amendment and referendum question, as well as the parliamentary consideration of the Referendum (Machinery Provisions) Amendment Bill 2022.
Campaign organisations shared information about their recent activities noting further opportunities to build community understanding, awareness and support for the referendum during the Week of Action from 18 February to 24 February.
Author and communications expert Ed Coper presented to the Group about the best ways to deal with misinformation and disinformation in the lead up to the referendum.
Equality Australia’s Anna Brown, Jacob White and Saan Ecker spoke to the Group about campaign resilience and their experience during the marriage equality campaign.
The Australian Electoral Commissioner, Mr Tom Rogers presented on the work underway to prepare the country for the referendum, including efforts to close the gap in enrolment rates among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and the wider community.
The Group agreed to meet again in March to continue to discuss ways to engage the community, including First Nations communities, on the referendum for an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice to Parliament.