September 18, 2023
Kids Under Cover wholeheartedly supports a First Nations Voice to Parliament
Of the estimated 28,204 young Australians aged 12-24 experiencing homelessness during the 2021 Census, around 23% were young First Nations Peoples – an astonishing figure considering they make up only about 5% of this age group.
This is just one of the many urgent challenges of structural disadvantage that First Nations youth are up against. To achieve meaningful change, we believe that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples must be consulted on policies and solutions that impact their own communities.
Through our work in the homelessness sector, and in listening to and engaging with First Nations Peoples from across Australia, we are aware of the desperate need for change. We believe that constitutional reforms to create a Voice to Parliament and empower Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples are one way to create a path to a better future for all Australians. These reforms are long overdue.
We applaud the leadership, and positive steps taken in Victoria towards the creation of the First Peoples’ Assembly and progress towards Treaty. We also applaud the leadership and progress towards the creation of a Voice to South Australian Parliament.
We wholeheartedly accept the invitation extended to us in the Uluru Statement from the Heart to walk together with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples so all Australian young people can inherit a brighter future.
In addition to our ongoing commitment to reconciliation, Kids Under Cover echoes the call of the Uluru Statement from the Heart for Voice, Treaty and Truth-Telling.
We support the establishment of a First Nation’s Voice to Parliament to be enshrined in the Constitution.
We believe that a Voice is one key step in ending systemic injustices faced by many young Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples and their families.