Dean Parkin | Voice to Parliament will just give us say, better outcomes

One-size-fits-all policy coming out of Canberra often creates unexpected headaches once the rollout is under way.

Bureaucrats and politicians simply don't have the expertise to ensure programs will work effectively from region to region, between one community and the next.

This has been a consistent problem in Indigenous policy for generations, and the failures are especially acute on measures of basic wellbeing and social functioning. Indigenous children are 25 per cent less likely to have the same level of reading ability as their non-Indigenous peers by year 9.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people are expected to live eight years less than non-Indigenous Australians. Almost two out of three Indigenous children haven't hit key developmental milestones by the time they start school.

The list goes on. And these are averages across the country; in many regional and remote areas, the statistics are even worse. In Australia, living away from the big cities always brings its own challenges, and this is very much the case with Indigenous issues.

Despite the very best of intentions and attempts at reform from political leaders and bureaucrats, what we have been doing hasn't worked. Everyone agrees it is not good enough.

On October 14, Australians have the chance to take a step forward together and create a better future focused on positive practical outcomes, because we can ensure Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people have a say on the issues that affect them.

Just a say. Not a budget. No power to make decisions. A say.

The government and the Parliament will always be free to reject what is said. But consultation leads to better results.

A really great example of this is on the Groote Archipelago in the Northern Territory. Thanks to an investment in local decision-making, the community has been able to drastically reduce crime and improve housing facilities on Groote Eylandt in the space of a few years - because the locals have had a say in what is happening.

Despite so much being said about the Voice to Parliament this year, many Australians are only turning their attention to it now, and they have reasonable questions.

So to clarify it: the Voice to Parliament would be an advisory committee that can give advice to politicians in Canberra about improving practical outcomes for Indigenous people.

When Parliament or the government wants to improve outcomes in areas like health or education, they can ask the Voice to come up with the best solutions that will actually work.

Instead of spending money and hoping for the best, our political leaders can be confident they are directing the right resources to the right places in the right way.

They will no doubt save money by cutting impractical programs, too.

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A Voice is not going to solve everything. The government will always be the final decision-maker. And over time, the Voice will adapt and evolve as governments come and go. But by giving Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people a say, we can begin to break the current cycle.

A "no" outcome on October 14, in contrast, will be a vote for more of the same and all the failure, waste, and division that comes with it.

When we are having conversations with Australians out in communities and explain that the Voice is an advisory committee, that's when the lights go on. A common response from people is to ask: "Is that it?"

Yes. That really is it.

Our job between now and October 14 is to continue supporting these conversations with every Australian, in every town across every region. We will be supported by more than 30,000 volunteers - and for the overwhelming majority of them, it is the first time they have ever been active on any public issue. They are the beating heart of our campaign and hundreds more are joining every day.

Ultimately, we are being asked to add 92 words to our constitution that will recognise the 60,000 years of unique history of our great land, and set us on a path to a more united, reconciled and positive future.

Australians are practical people, and I'm sure that as Australians focus on the practical opportunities on offer in this referendum, that they will embrace it with an optimistic and enthusiastic "yes".