The Board of the Marine Bioproducts Cooperative Research Centre (MBCRC) strongly supports the establishment of a constitutionally recognised Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice to Parliament.
Supporting a First Nations Voice to Parliament will create a pathway for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples to speak directly to the parliament about policies and laws that affect their communities. We believe that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples are best placed to help shape the solutions needed to overcome systemic disparities and disadvantage. The Board supports this critical step in reconciliation, accepting the Uluru Statement’s invitation to “walk with us in a movement of the Australian people for a better future”.
MBCRC also acknowledges the significance of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander innovations, technologies, and knowledge systems, which have been a living and evolving tradition over more than 60,000 years, in the world’s oldest living culture. We are committed to promoting reconciliation and to respecting Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples’ knowledge and perspectives throughout MBCRC’s operations.”