SAHMRI recognises Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people as the first peoples of Australia, and as having the longest continuous living culture in the world. We acknowledge and are sorry for the historical and current injustices and know that today Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people do not experience the same equality of rights and life expectancy as the majority of the Australian population. We respect the resilience of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in the face of adversity.

SAHMRI’s Executive and Indigenous Collective believe that providing for an Indigenous Voice to Parliament within Australia’s Constitution, as called for by the Uluru Statement from the Heart, is strongly aligned with our vision:

To Improve health equity in Australia and Beyond

Be translational to deliver impact

Deliver the right interventions, to the right people, at the right time in their lives to optimise health

SAHMRI is home to Wardliparingga – one of Australia’s largest dedicated Aboriginal health research units – and has extensive experience addressing the inequities in health care and health outcomes that affect Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. SAHMRI is also a signatory to the South Australian Aboriginal Health Research Accord, which outlines how health and medical research should be undertaken in collaboration with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander leadership, based on community priorities and in equal partnership with communities.

In abiding by the Accord, and through its commitment to improving Aboriginal health equity, SAHMRI has seen the material benefits to health and wellbeing that flow from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people being given agency over decisions that directly affect their lives and their health. In the same way, a Constitutionally-guaranteed Indigenous Voice to Parliament, to advise on laws and policies that exclusively or overwhelmingly relate to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, can accelerate tangible improvements in the health and wellbeing of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, and can deliver long-overdue social, emotional, spiritual, cultural and economic outcomes for these commuities to enjoy the same health and social status as most Australians.

SAHMRI is committed to Reconciliation and its leadership supports provision for a Voice to Parliament within our Constitution as a critical step forward in the Reconciliation process. It is official aknowledgement that people whose ancestry is thousands of generations old and can be traced back to the first people of the land we now call Australia, deserve the fundamental human right of self-determination. For this to be realised, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people must be allowed to have a say on issues and laws which impact their lives and their communities.

Australia currently has 11 representatives across the two houses of Federal Parliament who identify as Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander. While this is a proud over-representation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people per capita, those parliamentarians have been democratically elected to represent their constituency regardless of culture or heritage. Unlike elected representatives, the Voice is to be a separate body to advise Parliament about the broad impacts of laws and policies as they pertain specifically to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and communities.

Having the Voice prescribed by the Constitution, rather than creating it as an Act of Parliament or by some other mechanism, is justified recognition of the sovereign place Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people hold in Australia’s history, and gives the Voice legitimacy, stability and permanency.

The Uluru Statement from the Heart was a decisive moment in Australia’s history and the Reconciliation process. Acting on one of its central tenets, the creation of an Indigenous Voice to Parliament, is another decisive moment for all Australians. We will soon be presented with our first opportunity to enact the Uluru Statement from the Heart by voting in a referendum to endorse the establishment of the Voice to Parliment within our Constitution.

SAHMRI’s Executive and Indigenous Collective believe that voting ‘Yes’ for a Voice to Parliament in the upcoming referendum will further strengthen the relationship between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians, moving us together towards becoming a strong, more mature and united nation. Our leadership considers the Voice as a necessary initiative to help close the gap, with a focus on delivering positive outcomes in the areas of employment and business, improving the quality of government services, and designing measures that will strengthen the capability of Aboriginal corporations and organisations.