The Space, Spatial, and Surveying Diversity Leadership Network (SSSDLN) Convenors support an Indigenous Voice to Parliament, and will advocate for a resounding yes vote in the upcoming referendum.
The SSSDLN Convenors have declared their formal backing for the historic movement for a constitutionally recognised Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice. We invite all SSDLN Members to join us in declaring their backing (see below).
The call for Indigenous constitutional recognition and a Voice to Parliament has been made by generation after generation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander leaders and campaigners across the past century, including in the generous invitation to the Australian people in the Uluru Statement From The Heart.
Now all Australians will have a chance to answer that historic call when we get to vote in the referendum later this year.
The SSSDLN Convenors will advocate for a resounding yes vote in a profound moment of national unity — and we will support our Members to engage in this historic opportunity.
The Voice referendum won’t affect Indigenous sovereignty — a fact confirmed by constitutional law experts — and Treaty negotiations will continue across the country. Indigenous leaders have campaigned for decades and decades for a constitutionally-enshrined Voice.
SSSDLN honours the long tradition of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander knowledge in space, spatial and surveying, celebrating that “indigenous practice of spatial knowledge predates western science”. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people — the oldest continuing cultures anywhere on the planet — are Australia’s first scientists and technologists in the space, spatial and surveying realms.
Our vision is for a reconciled and united Australia. A nation which faces the truth of our past with honesty and courage. A nation which works to rectify injustice and bring healing to those who live with pain and trauma, and a nation that stands together against racism and discrimination.
We want all Australians to see the inspiring first cultures of this land as a great source of shared national pride — and a Voice will bring us another step closer to that goal.
Mary-Ellen, Maurits, Amelia, Jun, Kellie, Matt, Roshni, Stella, SSDLN Conveners
Further Reading
- ANU Reporter. What you need to know about the Voice. 2 June 2023
- Appleby, G and Levy, R (2023) The Voice case has answered the arguments for voting “No”. Australian Financial Review, 16 February 2023
- Briggs, C, Burfurd, I, Duckham, M, Guntarik, O, Kerr, D, McMillan, M., and San Martin Saldidas, D. (2020) Bridging the geospatial gap: Data about space and Indigenous knowledge of place. Geography Compass, e12542. doi:10.1111/gec3.12542
- Duckham, M and Ho, S (2020) Indigeneity and spatial information science. Journal of Spatial Information Science, 21, pp. 71–82 doi:10.5311/JOSIS.2020.21.725
- Dunn, A and Lee, C (2023) Your questions answered on the Voice to Parliament. The Conversation, 28 February 2023
- Hamacher, DW, Fuller, RS, Bosun, D, Leaman, TM (2020) Solstice and Solar Position observations in Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander traditions. Journal of Astronomical History and Heritage, 23(1), pp. 89–99
- Karp, P (2023) Why a voice to parliament won’t affect First Nations sovereignty as Lidia Thorpe fears. The Guardian, 26 January 2023
- Maiam nayri Wingara Indigenous Data Sovereignty Collective and the Australian Indigenous Governance Institute. (2018). Indigenous Data Sovereignty. Indigenous Data Sovereignty Summit 2018. https://www.aigi.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/Communique-Indigenous-Data-Sovereignty-Summit-1.pdf
- RMIT FactLab (2023) Indigenous Australians will not cede sovereignty under the Voice due to 1973 “change” to constitution. 19 May 2023
For more information visit Voice.gov.au.
SSSDLN Supporters for an Indigenous Voice to Parliament
| Name |
|---|
| Mary-Ellen Feeney |
| Maurits van der Vlugt |
| Amelia Davies |
| Jun Wang |
| Kellie Dean |
| Matt Duckham |
| Roshni Sharma |
| Selina Phillis |
| Jarrod Lange |
| Glenn Cockerton |
Declare your Support
If you would like to add your SSSDLN support for an Indigenous Voice to Parliament, please complete the simple form below. Anyone can join the SSSDLN with a simple pledge for free.
