Minister for Indigenous Australians
The Morrison Government has delivered on its commitment to co-design an Indigenous Voice with the release of the Indigenous Voice Co-design Final Report to the Australian Government.
Minister for Indigenous Australians, the Hon Ken Wyatt AM, MP, said the Morrison Government is releasing the Final Report to enable broader community discussion and consultation with jurisdictions.
“The Morrison Government committed at the 2019 Federal Election to undertake a process of co-design to develop models and options for an Indigenous voice and to enhance local and regional decision-making.
“Today we have delivered on that commitment, following an extensive co-design process involving more than 9,400 people, communities and organisations.
“It’s important to get this right. And, for the Indigenous Voice to work, it must have a strong foundation from the ground up. That’s why we’re taking the next step and starting with the Local & Regional Voice – as per the process set out in the Report.
“The Local & Regional Voice will contribute to achieving the Closing the Gap outcomes by providing avenues for Indigenous voices to be heard, including to provide feedback to Government on Closing the Gap.”
The Morrison Government will now:
- Commence discussions with States, Territories and local governments to encourage participation in Local & Regional Voice arrangements.
- Appoint a Local & Regional Voice Establishment Group to work with government to form the 35 Local & Regional Voice bodies.
- Engage with stakeholders to progress the Local & Regional Voice.
“This co-design process has been very successful. I want to thank all of the 52 co-design members who worked tirelessly for 18 months to deliver this historic proposal, the result of an extensive process of co-design and consultation with both Indigenous and non‑Indigenous Australians.
“It is important that we build on this success and continue to co-design the implementation of this proposal, to ensure this will be a voice owned by Indigenous Australians.”
The two stage Indigenous Voice Co-design Process commenced in October 2019. Through stage one, three co-design groups comprising 52 members from around the country, developed the detail of what an Indigenous Voice could look like and how it could work. Through stage two more than 9,400 people, communities and organisations provided feedback on the proposals in discussions around the country and online through surveys and submissions.
The co-design groups considered the feedback to refine their proposals and recommendations for their Final Report to the Australian Government, which is available now at https://voice.niaa.gov.au/final-report
