The Voice Statement
Slater and Gordon supports Constitutional recognition of the First Peoples of Australia through the establishment of an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice to Parliament (the Voice).
The Voice will recognise and pay respect to over 65,000 years of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander culture for the first time since the adoption of Australia’s 122-year-old constitution.
The Voice is about listening to advice from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people about matters that affect their lives, so governments will make better decisions.
As a law firm that is built on social justice values, we understand structural inequality and its drivers. That is precisely why we are committed to addressing the wrongs of the past and walking alongside Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people into the future.
The Australian Solicitor-General advised in April 2023 that the Voice is legally sound, noting that it “is not just compatible with the system of representative and responsible government prescribed by the Constitution, but an enhancement of that system”.
The Solicitor-General’s advice also noted that the Voice would help overcome “barriers that have historically impeded effective participation by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in political discussions and decisions that affect them”.
By including the Voice in the Constitution, Australia will give it the security and certainty it needs to provide meaningful, honest and ongoing advice to Parliament.
Our support for the Voice is not only about our commitment to social justice, or because it aligns deeply with our long-held values, but because we have seen the often deeply unjust outcomes that come when decisions are made for, not with, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.
Our support for the Voice is because we know firsthand how difficult and complex the pathway to justice can be for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and we want to continue to be part of a society that is committed to meaningful change.
The Uluru Statement from the Heart invited us to walk with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in a movement of the Australian people for a better future. We gratefully accept that invitation.