Indigenous Australians Minister Ken Wyatt has created a new advisory body to develop options for a local and regional voice to ensure Indigenous communities have more say.
The new Local and Regional Co-design Group will be headed up by Professor Peter Buckskin and National Indigenous Australians Agency senior official Letitia Hope and work alongside a committee working on the design of a national voice.
Co-chair Professor Buckskin said he wants to ensure Indigenous Australians can have their say on programs and policies.
“I’ve been on this journey for a long time, and this is a great opportunity, the next step, to ensure that all Indigenous Australians can be heard by government,” he said.
“Getting this right is important, this is about our legacy to the next generation.”
Professor Bucksin is a former dean of Aboriginal engagement and strategic projects at the University of South Australia.
A senior advisory committee was set up last year to develop a ‘Voice to Government’ aimed at ensuring Indigenous Australians are heard through local, regional and national consultation.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison, left, shakes hands with Minister for Indigenous Australians Ken Wyatt. Source: AP
Mr Wyatt said the 17-member local and regional advisory body would support the overarching national voice by providing guidance on the need for input from Indigenous Australians in remote and regional areas.
“As I travel to communities around the country, Indigenous Australians are saying to me they just want to be heard and involved in decision-making for their communities,” he said.
“They want to know who will listen to their ideas and be in a position to do something about them.”
Mr Wyatt has resisted enshrining a 'Voice to Parliament' in the constitution as proposed by Indigenous leaders in the Uluru Statement from the Heart in 2017.
He has argued it is more important to find the best structure for a national voice which will lead to improvements in the daily lives of Indigenous Australians.
