Voice to Parliament statement

30 June 2023

ANZCA Council and the FPM Board support an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice to Parliament.

ANZCA Council and the FPM Board jointly release the following statement in support of the “Yes” position for the Voice to Parliament in the upcoming Australian government referendum. 
 
The Uluru Statement from the Heart was released in 2017 following a gathering of prominent Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. It is a compelling statement that, amongst other things, asks for a First Nations Voice enshrined in the constitution. This request was the culmination of widespread consultation across Australia, going back many years and spanning many governments and political parties.  
 
In 2022, the “Closing the Gap” annual report highlighted the ongoing inequity for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, including lower life expectancy, higher incarceration rates and higher suicide rates. Strategies to date have failed to substantially change these statistics. 
 
We believe voting “Yes” for the Voice to Parliament has the potential to improve health for First Nations peoples. This is consistent with ANZCA's purpose of “optimising health” and ANZCA’s constitution to “advance public education and awareness of health equity”. 

This position also aligns with ANZCA Council's 2019: “Statement on the role of ANZCA in advocating for the health and wellbeing of all people”.  

We encourage all fellows, trainees and specialist international medical graduates to consider the effects on the health, wellbeing, and right to self-determination of First Nations peoples when voting in the upcoming referendum.