Acknowledgement of Country
Yooralla acknowledges Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islands People as the Traditional Custodians of the lands across Victoria where our services are located, and pay our respects to ancestors and Elders, past, present and future. Yooralla is committed to honouring Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islands Peoples’ unique cultural and spiritual relationships to the land, waters and seas and their rich contribution to Yooralla and our society.
Artist: Emma Bamblett (Wemba Wemba, Gunditjmara, Ngadjonji and Taungurung) "Life Cycle" - This painting represents the beginning of life.
Yooralla’s commitment to Reconciliation
We are committed to change within our organisation to support reconciliation and improve outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islands People, both as an employer and a service provider. At Yooralla, we believe that more must be done to support equality for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islands people.
State of Reconciliation in Australia
Reconciliation Australia’s 2021 State of Reconciliation in Australia Report captures a snapshot of where we are on our reconciliation journey as a nation, where we need to go and how we are going to get there.
The report’s focus of moving from ‘safe’ to ‘brave’ and urges the reconciliation movement towards braver and more impactful action.
Yooralla is proud to support the Yes! campaign for a Voice to Parliament.
A First Nations Voice to Parliament protected by the Constitution is a key element of the Uluru Statement from the Heart.
After detailed consultation with the Referendum Working Group, Prime Minister Albanese announced the proposed referendum question on 23 March 2023.
More about the 'Yes' Campaign
The Bill was introduced to parliament on 30 March 2023.
This will be voted on by the parliament – after debate – in June. The question is:
‘A Proposed Law: to alter the Constitution to recognise the First Peoples of Australia by establishing an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice. Do you approve this proposed alteration?’
While it may seem initially that there is no connection between the Voice to Parliament vote and what we do here at Yooralla, with statistics from The Royal Commission into Violence, Abuse, Neglect and Exploitation of People with Disability showing that First Nations people are more than twice as likely than the rest of the Australian community to have a disability - the vote is absolutely core business for a disability provider like ourselves.
We see support for the Voice as a way to improve disability outcomes for people and improve disability policy for First Nations people in this country. It is the position of the organisation that we’ve taken in consultation with the Board and Community Advisory committee to stand in support of the Voice to Parliament.
We encourage you to learn more about the Voice to Parliament by visiting:
- NIAA – The Australian Government website with details on Voice to Parliament
- YES23 Yes23 is a campaign led by Australians for Indigenous Constitutional Recognition Ltd.
- Reconciliation Australia
- Uluru Statement.org