Community Early Learning Australia (CELA) supports voting YES in the upcoming referendum on an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice to Parliament.
The referendum will ask whether voters will approve an alteration to the Constitution to recognise the First Peoples of Australia by establishing an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice.
CELA recognises that Australia’s rich and unique history begins with over 60,000 years of continuous Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultural connection to this land. As a peak body for early education and care, CELA is committed to supporting initiatives that can help to close the gap in access to quality early education for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children. We believe that the establishment of a Voice to Parliament will help achieve this goal by ensuring that education policies affecting children are guided by the people who understand their needs best.
Just as the Early Years Learning Framework V2.0 states that embedding Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander perspectives is a shared responsibility of providers, educators and teachers working in early childhood educational settings, we believe that it is a shared responsibility to support the Voice to Parliament to give Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people a constitutionally enshrined channel to have a say on vital matters that affect them such as life expectancy, educational outcomes, and employment.
Michele Carnegie, CELA CEO
While CELA supports the YES vote, we will continue to share a broad range of perspectives from our sector to guide individuals as they develop their personal views.