TREATY BEFORE VOICE
WE DESERVE MORE THAN CONSTITUTIONAL RECOGNITION
2023 campaign run by grassroots First Nations organisers, allies and communities, advocating for Indigenous Sovereign “No” to the breadcrumbs, assimilation and paternalism of the push for constitutional recognition, and to instead prioritise meaningful reparations and treaty processes before a tokenistic “voice”.
STOP THE WAR
Since 1788, European settlement has been defined by conflict and violence. The Frontier Wars were the first 140 years of battles where Indigenous People were involved in defending their country and Europeans carried out massacres to expand the British Colony. Still to this day, the colony continues its occupation and violence by force.
From youth prisons, child removals, racial profiling, violent policing, Black deaths in custody, destruction of lands and continual desecration of sacred sites, it’s clear the wars have never stopped.
Now just shifted into painting progressiveness and promises that enable violence via institutions and constitutions, First Nations People continue resist whilst being the most impacted and incarcerated peoples on Earth.
This year, organisers are rallying for Treaty before the Voice.
SOVEREIGNTY
Sovereignty is the state of being a country with the freedom to govern itself. At no time was sovereignty ever ceded to the British Crown.
Sovereignty will always continue to be the heart of every single First Nations community, rally and fight.
Dating back to at least 80,000 years, Aboriginal people are the oldest living continuous culture on Earth, and this continent always was and always will be Aboriginal Land.
“THE VOICE”
The Voice to Parliament is Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s plan to involve Australian voters in a referendum to vote yes/no on recognising Indigenous People into the Constitution.
But as Brisbane based organiser, Ruby Wharton, says, “we don’t need 97% of Australian voters voting on the future of First Nations people who make up less than 3% of the population.”
Involving 26 million Australian setters on voting on the future of 800,000 Indigenous people is ultimately an uneven, unjust and discriminatory voting system.
The unequal power dynamic of settlers determining the future of another race is ultimately unfair and doesn’t reflect rights of self determination or of Sovereignty.
“Constitution recognition is said to be about equality and civil rights but what we’re fighting for is the right to determine our own destiny.”
Boe Spearim
TREATY BEFORE VOICE
In June 1988, the Hawke Labor Government adopted as its official policy support for a Treaty between the Australian government and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples. The following week, Prime Minister Bob Hawke made a speech at the 1988 Barunga Sport and Cultural Festival, where he agreed to the request for a treaty-making process expressed in the Barunga Statement.
But it’s been over 30 years now since then, with successive government parties that have back-stabbed and delayed treaty process. And from talks and promises of a treaty, the current Government is now are presenting a ‘Voice to Parliament’.
How many more years of delays and distractions? We must understand that there has been years in the making of referendums and councils that have undermined Indigenous Sovereignty and treaties.
Sign the Petition.
Help us get to 10 million signatures to pressure the colonial Government for Treaty Before Voice. They cannot ignore us if there is a majority of Australian voters petitioning and demanding for better for the First Nations Peoples of these lands.
Indigenous communities don’t need faux tokenism and a cherry-picked government advisory body called ‘Voice’ that will speak over 300 Indigenous Sovereign Nations. Sovereign Nations don’t need settlers and occupying governments making laws about them and their futures since they have always had their own governance systems that were fair, sustainable and lasted 60,000+ years. With the current Government systems we see continual ecological devastation and violence to Indigenous communities, violence that is intrinsically related and interlinked. It’s also suspicious and concerning that Mining corporations such as BHP are one of the biggest backers and sponsors for the Uluru Statement of the Heart and the Yes Vote for the Voice. Indigenous communities demand more than tokenism and entrapment into the Constitution that can cause further harm and justify further desecration of sacred land and erosion of human rights. Listen to the grassroots communities valid concerns. Read current reports and existing recommendations that have yet to be considered nor acted upon. Grassroots First Nations communities and activists are calling for more than a tokenistic Voice, but for true freedom, justice, and Treaties.
Help Support us and Sign below.
MEDIA RELEASE
24 JANUARY 2023
INVASION DAY RALLY MELBOURNE: TREATY BEFORE VOICE
Statement attributable to the Coalition of community organisers:
The 26th January is not a day to celebrate. It is an annual reminder of invasion, occupation, genocide and the ongoing impacts of colonisation that continues to destroy our land and waters. As the oldest living culture in the world, it is our right and our responsibility as First Nations people to protect our country, culture and our people. That is why we meet this day with protest and mourning, as one of the longest standing protests in the world.
A Dawn Service will be held at 5am at Kings Domain Resting Place, Linlithgow Avenue. This will be followed by the Invasion Day Rally where we will be meeting at 11am at the Victorian Parliament on Spring St and marching to Flinders St Station.
It has been 85 years since William Cooper, Jack Patten and other community leaders held the first Day of Mourning at Sydney Town Hall on 26 January 1938. We find ourselves in 2023 making the same demands. We’re sick of being ‘advisors’ on our own lives while the violent state continues to murder us, lock us up, steal our children, destroy our sacred land and culture. As sovereign peoples, governments need to respect Aboriginal sovereignty, law, culture and protocols, and negotiate on our terms.
We demand:
● Treaty/Treaties
● Land back and land rights - stop selling land promised to us
● End Aboriginal deaths in custody and implement all the recommendations of the Royal Commission into Aboriginal Deaths in Custody and the coronial inquests
● Climate justice
● End the theft of Black children and implement the recommendations of the Bringing Them Home report
● Abolish police and prisons
● Reparations
Here in so-called Victoria, the Andrews government enjoys the optics of being a progressive state, yet it continues to fail our people, as does every other government in this colony. Our children are still being stolen by the state; billions of dollars are funnelled into prisons and police while our family members and children are still being targeted, locked up and dying in custody; and our land is still being destroyed for corporate profit. Our children are being killed by racist attacks on the streets, our women murdered and disappeared, our people are living in poverty, our lands, sacred sites and waters destroyed by extractive industries with complicit and willing governments. There’s blood on the Andrews government’s hands.
While the nation debates our position in its constitution, we remind people that we are over 50 years on since the last successful referendum and ask people what has changed? We have sat through coronial inquest after coronial inquest, we have participated in Royal Commissions and Enquiries, we have met State and Federal Governments on their terms. Yet the majority of recommendations made in the Royal Commission Into Aboriginal Deaths in Custody have not been implemented nor the recommendations into the Bringing Them Home Report. We participated in Constitutional Recognition discussions more than five years ago and unequivocally refused, we demanded a Treaty, but we now are being forced to enter discussions around a Voice to Parliament.
With progressives talking over the top of us and bigots denying our humanity, our self-determination is being steam-rolled.
As a coalition of community organisers, we call on you to respect our demands and take action with us. We also remind attendees that COVID19 is still impacting our communities and we encourage all attendees to wear a mask, bring hand sanitiser and take all necessary precautions to keep each other safe.
Official statement of the rally organisers
The First Day of Mourning held on January 26th 1938. Australia Day has only been recognised as a National public holiday since January 26th 1994. Why was it chosen to be on a day of mourning for First Nations Peoples?
Poster from 1967 Referendum.
50+ years since Indigenous People first 'counted' as Australians.
“…we remind people that we are over 50 years on since the last successful referendum
and ask people
what has changed?”
JANUARY 26
On January 26th, 2023 First Nations organisers around the country prepared speeches, protests and marches at Invasion Day also known as Day of Mourning and Sovereign Day.
Grassroots Blak communities and activists made it clear they are against the Voice to Parliament and demanded for more than crumbs.
From that day, this grassroots campaign, Treaty Before Voice, was officially launched with communities, organisers and Sovereign Embassies coming together to center their own Sovereign voices.
There are plans in the works for educational workshops, banner paintings, t-shirt making, forums and community events throughout the year. Stay in touch with your local grassroots for collective mobilising for Treaties and Indigenous Sovereignty.
Support the Grassroots
The government and mining companies have and continue to pour millions of dollars into pushing the 'Voice to Parliament'. Please support this grassroots Aboriginal community effort to raise awareness about an alternative path which puts Treaty before Voice.
Support the movement. Attend rallies, talk to your family, friends, and communities about the truth of this continent’s history, and unpack what really is constitutional recognition. Research the racist foundations of it, how it was written in the era of the White Australia Policy and how the upcoming referendum impacts First Nations people the most.
Understand the continual violence of the colony in institutions, prison systems, courts, healthcare, and workplaces, and where you stand within it.
Make consistent committed efforts in centering and listening to First Nations grass-roots communities in the demand of justice, in mutual aids efforts, in community education and solidarity, and for more than a voice in parliament.
In listening directly to Indigenous communities that have always been expressing their truths, learn to prioritise the humanity, rights and the demands of Indigenous communities on the front lines over the white status quo and racist opinions.
Understand that true Sovereignty wouldn’t require a settler-colonial government advisory board to speak on behalf of and attempt to represent over 300 nations. First Nations People have always had their own voice and Sovereignty was never ceded.