Indigenous Voice and the Co-Design process - what does this mean for Indigenous Australians?

While owning or managing almost 50 per cent of the continent, Indigenous Australians currently do not have a formal say over government policies that affect them. Indigenous Voice would offer a way for Indigenous Australians to provide formal advice to the parliament on Indigenous affairs.

But what does this look like? How does it work, and who is involved? The Centre for Social Impact (CSI) is hosting two webinars with key members of the National Co-Design Group for Indigenous Voice to answer these questions.

The Hon Ken Wyatt AM MP, who announced the co-design process in October 2019, will deliver an introduction at the second webinar.

Taking place on 9 March and 4 May as a part of CSI’s impact2021 series , the online events will feature panellists including Dr Donna Odegaard AM, The Hon Jeff Kennett AC, Emeritus Professor Colleen Hayward AM, and CSI Swinburne’s Dr Emma Lee.

Following the January 2021 release of the Interim Report on Indigenous Voice, CSI’s webinar series will explore the Indigenous Voice co-design process and discuss why the National Co-Design Group believes Indigenous-led formal advice to government and parliament is important and necessary.

Individuals, communities and organisations are invited to provide feedback on the proposals for Local and Regional Voices and a National Voice, and how these bodies could work to ensure a true partnership between Indigenous Australians and governments.

In the upcoming webinars, panellists will also discuss how members of the public can participate in the co-design process.

“When Indigenous and other Australians can work together with respect and inclusion for good policy and legislation, Australian democracy becomes fuller and richer for healthy future generations,” said Dr Emma Lee, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Research Fellow at the CSI Swinburne and member of the National Co-Design Group.

“We’ll be explaining what the Indigenous Voice is and how, as Australians together, we can co-design the process of Indigenous advice to government and parliament for mutual benefit.

“It is imperative that all Australians have confidence in the Indigenous-led process to create fairness and equity in how Indigenous lives and our issues are governed.”