Australians are being urged to walk "side-by-side" to give Indigenous Australians a Voice to Parliament, in the first major advertising blitz of the referendum campaign.
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The Uluru Dialogue's History is Calling ad campaign began rolling out on Monday, arguing Australians from all walks of life are needed to make the proposal a reality.
The ad - appearing on YouTube, social media, and Playback TV - centres on Trevor Jamieson, a Pitjantjatjara and Nyungar man, telling a younger generation the story of "how we made history" by giving First Nations Australians "a voice".
"[They had] no say on matters which affected them. It wasn't right," Mr Jamieson says.
"So the whole nation did something about it ... everybody made a song and dance about it."
His comments are interspersed with non-Indigenous Australians telling their grandchildren how they walked "side-by-side" with their First Nations countrymen to make the Voice a reality.
A young Indigenous boy eventually asks: "Is that story true?"
"It could be," Mr Jamieson replies.
Bridget Cama, co-chair of Uluru Youth Dialogue, told ACM, publisher of this newspaper, the release marked a "really proud day for us".
Ms Cama said the ad "captures the spirit" of the Uluru Statement from the Heart, by highlighting to role non-Indigenous Australians can play in backing the campaign.
"It's saying that this is all of our responsibility as Australians, if you call Australia home. We're asking you to walk with First Nations," she said.
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"We're really relying on the Australian people to take that ownership of it. It's the Australian public that has the power to shape our nation's future."
Labor has pledged to hold a referendum on a Voice in this term of Parliament, and consultation has begun with legal experts and First Nations groups on the next steps along the road to the Voice.
Finn McHugh
Finn McHugh has been federal political reporter for The Canberra Times since July 2021. He joined the Canberra Press Gallery in 2019 where he was executive producer of Sky News's AM Agenda, before joining NCA NewsWire as a federal political reporter. He has previously interned at the Kuwait Times.
Finn McHugh has been federal political reporter for The Canberra Times since July 2021. He joined the Canberra Press Gallery in 2019 where he was executive producer of Sky News's AM Agenda, before joining NCA NewsWire as a federal political reporter. He has previously interned at the Kuwait Times.
