Frequently Asked Questions

We support the case to vote ‘Yes’ to the referendum question of whether a First Nations Voice should be enshrined in the Constitution. Our full position statement is as follows:

Tearfund Australia is a Christian aid, development and advocacy organisation that has worked for over 50 years with local partner organisations in Africa, South Asia, South East Asia, the Pacific and with First Peoples-led partners here in Australia. As a Christian organisation, we seek to adhere to biblical teaching and evaluate all our attitudes and actions in its light.

Tearfund’s vision is for a just and compassionate world in which all people have the opportunity to achieve their God-given potential. The dispossession and oppression of First Nations peoples in Australia is an injustice that has resulted in many being robbed of that opportunity.

Tearfund welcomes the current attention being given to the establishment of a constitutionally enshrined First Nations Voice to Parliament and the Federal Government's commitment to hold a referendum on this issue. We believe this is an important step towards justice and we are committed to listening to and learning from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in the process of its establishment.

We support the call of the Uluru Statement from the Heart for a First Nations Voice enshrined in the constitution. This reform will help to empower Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples to take their rightful place in their own country.

We hear the invitation in the Uluru Statement from the Heart to walk with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples in a movement of all Australians for a better future. We support the case to vote ‘Yes’ to the referendum question of whether a First Nations Voice should be enshrined in the Constitution.

Tearfund’s vision is for a just and compassionate world in which all people have the opportunity to achieve their God-given potential. The dispossession and oppression of First Nations peoples in Australia is an injustice that has resulted in many being robbed of that opportunity.

We work closely with First Nations Christian leaders, who we are connected to through church links and through the Christian projects we partner with, and we consult these leaders on all of the major decisions related to our work with First People. Having taken the time to listen and learn, in the context of relationship and dialogue, we are responding to their requests to speak up in support of the Voice. In the view of many First Nations Christian leaders, supporting the aspirations of Australia’s First People to have a direct voice in the laws and policies which impact them is a concrete demonstration of a commitment to reconciliation and to the Uluru Statement from the Heart.

Tearfund's support for voting Yes in the referendum is our organisation's response to what we have heard in these conversations with First Nations Christian leaders.

This referendum will mark a significant moment in our nation's history, and many are still discerning how they will vote. The Bible is not a rule book that gives direction on how we should vote. However, in the teachings and example of Jesus, we find principles and virtues that shape the way his followers engage with the world. When we are thinking about how to vote in the referendum, we seek to discern how these principles direct our vote.

These principles include the primacy of love (Mark 12:28-31), the importance of pursuing justice, mercy and faith (Matthew 23:23), and the call to serve all those in need (Matthew 25:31-46). Jesus reminds us that all people are image bearers of God, and therefore our obligations to one another transcend culture, geography and circumstance (Luke 10:25-37, Matthew 25:31-46). We hear as well that Jesus’ purpose was to see all people flourish – to experience the ‘fullness of life’ (John 10:10).

Tearfund has always taken an active interest in how laws and policies impact people living with poverty and marginalisation. We have a long history of advocating locally and internationally for policy changes that will give more just outcomes to those experiencing poverty. We are not partisan and maintain our independence from any political parties, seeking to work with all sides of the Australian Government to advocate for just outcomes.

In 1967 Australia had a referendum to “to alter the Constitution so as to omit certain words relating to the people of the Aboriginal race in any state and so that Aboriginals are to be counted in reckoning the population.”

On 15 May of that year the Australian Council of Churches issued a statement in support of the ‘yes’ vote, signed by leaders of all the major Protestant and Orthodox denominations.¹ The statement urged Australians to vote ‘yes’ in the referendum, stating that it was ‘an opportunity for Christians to show that they thought discrimination against Aborigines should be removed from every point of national life.’²

Many Aboriginal and Torres Strait Christians who have told Tearfund that they remember this referendum, point to the church's involvement and the final result (90.77% in favour) as a source of encouragement in the journey of reconciliation. They remember that the church stood with them supporting their equality and rights within Australia.

Now in 2023, Tearfund sees participating in the referendum on the Voice in a similar spirit to what the church had in 1967. We want to stand with our First Nations Sisters and Brothers in Christ and support this initiative for their voice to be heard at the highest levels of decision making in the country.

The need for gracious, respectful conversations, based in love and mutual respect is perhaps more important now than ever before in helping ground our conversations with our community around the upcoming referendum.

Tearfund is committed to listening to the perspectives of the people most impacted by the Voice: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. We recognise that not all First People support the Voice, and that within the wider population of Australia, there are differing views.

Tearfund is, however, able to confidently and consistently speak up in support of the Voice, because this is the perspective that is shared overwhelmingly by the First Nations Christian leaders and organisations who we are closely connected to. Our partnerships allow us to make these voices accessible to our supporters and create opportunities to listen and learn together.

One of the principles underlying the perspective of the First Nations leaders we have consulted – and which resonates with Tearfund’s approach to good Christian development work – is that people who are directly impacted by decisions should be able to participate in those decisions by having their voice and perspective heard. From our experience around the world this is particularly important (and often overlooked) when work is being done with historically disadvantaged or marginalised groups. This ‘voice’ doesn’t mean they are more or less equal than others – it just recognises the importance of their voice being heard on matters that impact them.

Tearfund believes that the establishment of a constitutionally enshrined First Nations Voice to Parliament will help enable First Nations people to be better heard in the places where decisions are made about them. We believe this is an important step towards justice and reflects good Christian community development principles.

There are two parts to this question: why do we need a representative Indigenous Body such as a Voice to Parliament, and why does it need to be enshrined in the Constitution?

A First Nations Voice to Parliament, as called for in the Uluru Statement from the Heart, will provide a mechanism for First Nations representatives to directly deliver information from First Nations communities to Government with regard to the laws and policies that impact them. Recognising Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people as the First Peoples of this country, and in the context of the historical sins and continuing systemic injustices that marginalise and oppress their communities, a Voice to Parliament is an important step towards a democracy that is accessible for all and helps to support the flourishing of all.

There have been bodies similar to a Voice in the past. Most notably there was an entity called the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Commission (ATSIC). ATSIC was formed through government legislation and was eventually disbanded by the government of the day. Most Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people believe it is important to protect an Indigenous Body, such as the Voice, within the Constitution so that it can’t be removed by any government.* A Voice that was written into the Constitution would not be vulnerable to the whims of future governments.

The only way to change the Australian Constitution is through a referendum. All Australian citizens of voting age must vote in a referendum, just as we must vote at an election. For a referendum to be successful, most of the people in most of the states must vote yes. A Voice enshrined in the Constitution would have the authority of the Australian people and the government would need to make legislation to reflect the Constitution.

The First Nations Voice to Parliament was one of the recommendations of the Uluru Statement from the Heart. The establishment of a First Nations Voice enshrined in the Australian Constitution is intended to empower First Nations Peoples to have a greater say in the policy and legislation that affect their communities.

If the referendum is successful, the government, and successive governments, will work to legislate the mechanisms needed for the Voice to operate. This legislative process would be subject to the usual democratic checks and balances including having our local federal representative consulting with us, their constituents, as they do on many pieces of legislation.

What is clear is that, if this referendum is successful, First Nations people would have the right to provide input, through the Voice, on matters affecting them. First Nations leaders have indicated that at the top of their list are issues like health, education and employment.

We can support the voice with confidence knowing that the legislation needed to “bring it to life” will be subject to the usual democratic checks and balances.

While most of our work is overseas, we also have partnerships with First Nations-led community development organisations here in Australia who work to address poverty and justice issues in their communities. We provide support to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples who are working to achieve their potential and gain greater control over their own affairs. We also mobilise Australian Christians and the wider community to work towards a more just and equitable society for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.

Read stories from our partners and hear more about our work with First Peoples.

The Uluru Statement from the Heart, calling for Voice, Treaty and Truth, emerged from six months of discussions held around the country that culminated in The First Nations National Constitutional Convention at Uluru in May 2017. From this pivotal coming together of 250 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander leaders, the Uluru Statement is an invitation to all Australians to reshape the relationship between First Nations Peoples and the Australian population through lasting legal and structural reform. The Statement is presented as an invitation to the people of Australia to “walk with us in a movement of the Australian people for a better future.”

The Uluru Statement from the Heart calls for “Voice” and “Makarrata”.

• Voice to Parliament enshrined in the Constitution.
• A Makarrata Commission to supervise:
  • Agreement making.
  • Truth telling about our history.

Read more about the Uluru Statement from the Heart.