Arriving in Sydney over 60 years ago, my parents, Apostolos and Anna Constantinidis, were shocked at the treatment and attitudes towards our First Australians.
They had come from the tiny Greek Island of Symi, and it was only a short time before they became Paul and Anna Con. Their original 14-letter surname proved too difficult to pronounce and spell, so it was cut to ‘Con’ – unaware of its everyday meaning. I went to school as Zafiria and came home as Betty Con – the teacher claimed my Greek name sounded like Elizabeth, so she declared that I should be known as Betty (which happened to be her name). The Walker came later when I married Professor Bob Walker. I kept Con as an homage to my parents’ travails.
My parents saw bullying and other Aussie attitudes to new immigrants beyond this name. They worked hard and established themselves in their new country. They felt lucky and that any difficulties they faced paled insignificance compared to the ill-treatment faced by our First Nations people.
They had been brought up to respect and honour their ancestors, traditions, and cultural heritage, which have survived, yet they could not believe the disrespect and disgraceful treatment of our First Australians. People who had managed to survive and maintain their culture and traditions, including their many languages.
The last straw was when they discovered that Aboriginal and Torres Islander peoples were not even counted as part of the population and did not even have the right to vote – a right so precious to people who had come from a country that gave birth to democracy.
Recall that while the Australian Parliament passed an Act to provide all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people with the option to enroll and vote in federal elections, it was not until 1984 that they were finally treated like others and required to enroll and vote.
And how happy my parents would be with the Australian Government’s commitment to Constitutional recognition of our First Australians and the Voice to Parliament arising from the Uluru Statement from the Heart. My support for Constitutional reform aimed at the recognition of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and the establishment of a Voice to Parliament stems from my Greek heritage and the teachings of my parents.
My position also draws on my experience in serving as a member of several former Federal Government agencies: the National Committee on Discrimination in Employment and Occupation, the Australian Council on Population and Ethnic Affairs, and the Australian Institute of Multicultural Affairs (in its final years of operation under the then Labor Government).
These agencies providing advice to the government focused on population and ethnic affairs and employment discrimination issues – but there were no similar agencies set up to advise on behalf of our First Nations people directly.
The plan for a First Nations Voice to Parliament is a modest but essential proposal. An Indigenous Advisory Body to Parliament – the First Nations Voice would assist in better informing decision-making across all areas of government, particularly those impacting our First Australians. There is plenty of information for those interested to read it. Claims to the contrary are disingenuous.
The Advisory Body must have resources allocated independently of existing government departments to undertake its important tasks without interference. It should be assisted by an independent research group to provide evidence-based research on an ongoing basis.
The Voice will not threaten traditional government arrangements and will certainly not be a third chamber of Parliament. Misrepresentations to the contrary do no credit to those putting them forward.
Let us all show the world that Australia has grown as a nation. Let us all vote Yes to the Voice.
Dr Betty Con Walker is an economist, author, and former NSW Treasury official.
