On 19 March 2018, the Parliament agreed that a Joint Select Committee on
Constitutional Recognition relating to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander
Peoples be appointed to inquire into and report on matters relating to
constitutional change, including the proposal for the establishment of
a First Nations Voice. The resolution of appointment requires the Committee to consider a
wide range of matters, including recommendations of the Referendum
Council (2017), the Statement from the Heart (2017), the Joint Select Committee
on Constitutional Recognition of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander
Peoples (2015), and the Expert Panel on Constitutional Recognition of
Indigenous Australians (2012).
1.5 Acknowledging the significant shift in the ongoing discussions about
constitutional change and recognition represented by the Statement from the
Heart, which was announced only 10 months before the Committee was appointed, the Committee came to the view that its primary task was to
expand on the detail of the proposal for a First Nations Voice.
1.6 While The Voice has been the Committee’s focus, the Committee has also
considered the proposals for truth-telling and agreement making arising
from the Statement from the Heart, as well as other proposals for
constitutional change and recognition. The final report of the Committee is intended to reflect the evidence received
across the wide range of matters included in the Committee’s resolution of
appointment. The report sets out the Committee’s conclusions and
recommendations in relation to these matters.
1.20 Readers are reminded that this report should be read in conjunction with the
Committee’s interim report, which considers in detail the evidence received
earlier in the inquiry.
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