IEU delegates, members of the IEU Executive and Council, organisers and observers pledged their support to the Unions for Yes campaign at IEU Council on 18 March.
The union is encouraging members to vote ‘yes’ at the forthcoming referendum on recognising Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and embedding in parliament their right to have a voice on policies and laws made for them.
“The union movement has listened to the call of First Nations workers who want our movement’s support for a Voice to Parliament. Unions had already committed to support the Uluru Statement from the Heart and this is the next step in that process,” ACTU Secretary Sally McManus said.
“For too long our parliaments have made laws about Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples without proper consultation with First Nations peoples. These policies have often entrenched discrimination and disadvantage, forcing First Nations peoples to work for free or below legal minimum wages over two centuries,” McManus said.
“The minimum First Nations peoples deserve is that their voice be respected and listened to before laws are made. For these reasons the ACTU commits to supporting the ‘Yes’ campaign in any referendum.”