Countdown to the referendum on the Voice to Parliament

“Countdown to the referendum on the Voice to Parliament” moderated by Professor Mark Evans,  Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research) at Charles Sturt, with Michelle Grattan, Chief Political Correspondent at The Conversation, Professor Sue Green, Wiradyuri woman, Fellow at Yindyamarra Nguluway at Charles Sturt, James Blackwell, Research Fellow in Indigenous Diplomacy, at the ANU College of Asia and the Pacific and a proud Wiradjuri man, Professor Kim Rubenstein, Australian legal scholar, legal practitioner, and Professor in the Faculty of Business Government and Law at the University of Canberra, and Paul House, a senior Ngambri-Ngunnawal custodian of the Canberra region with Wiradjuri, Walgalu and Ngunnawal ancestry and Senior Community Engagement Officer, Office of the Vice-President, First Nations Portfolio, ANU.

Light refreshments will be served at the event.

Date: Wednesday, 11 October

Time: 6 pm - 7 pm 

Venue: The Chapel, Building 852, Charles Sturt Campus at Barton

The panel will assess the key issues informing the Australian citizenry in the run-up to the referendum. Is history on the side of the ‘No’ campaign? What would make cynics say ‘Yes’? What would the implications of a failed referendum be for Indigenous Australians, and wider prospects of democratic reform, such as a referendum on an Australian republic? How would a ‘Yes’ vote strengthen Australian democracy? What would the political consequences of a failed referendum be for Anthony Albanese within the Labor party and on wider national and foreign affairs fronts? How would a failed referendum affect Peter Dutton’s standing within the Liberal party and with the wider Australian electorate?

PANELLISTS

Michelle Grattan AO is one of Australia's most respected and awarded political journalists. She has been a member of the Canberra parliamentary press gallery for over 40 years, during which time she has covered all the most significant stories in Australian politics. Michelle is The Conversation's Associate Editor (Politics) and Chief Political Correspondent.

Sue Green is a Galari, Wiradyuri (Aboriginal Australian) woman, mother and grandmother.  Sue is the Professorial Fellow in the Yindyamarra Nguluway Centre at Charles Sturt University.  She is currently the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Director on the AASW Board of Directors. Her Phd was on ‘The History of Aboriginal Welare in the Colony of NSW 1788-1856’, which looked at how Aboriginal people were welfarised as a tool of colonisation.  Sue research interest include: Decolonisation, Social Work practice, Indigenous Nation Rebuilding and Reclamation of Indigenous Languages as well as Sovereign Research Methodologies.

James Blackwell is a Research Fellow in Indigenous Diplomacy at the Australian National University’s Coral Bell School of Asia Pacific Affairs and a PhD Candidate within the School. A proud Wiradyuri man, James’ work centres on prioritising Indigenous voices within predominately white systems of governance. He sees this work as a way to advance Indigenous knowledges and perspectives into spaces previously built around the exclusion of Indigenous voices, and create a greater presence for his community. James is also an Ambassador with the Uluru Dialogue at UNSW, helping support and campaign for the Voice to Parliament.

Kim Rubenstein is an Australian legal scholar, legal practitioner, and Professor in the Faculty of Business Government and Law at the University of Canberra. A graduate of Melbourne University and Harvard Law School, she is Australia’s leading expert on citizenship and has been a public policy contributor through running cases in the High Court of Australia, advising on legislation, a member of the Independent Committee that reviewed the Australian Citizenship Test, and through writing books and articles about citizenship law and policy. She is a Fellow of the Australian Academy of Law and a Fellow of the Academy of Social Sciences in Australia.

Paul Girrawah House has multiple First Nation ancestries from the South-East Canberra region, including the Ngambri-Ngurmal (Walgalu), Pajong (Gundungurra), Wallaballooa (Ngunnawal) and Erambie/Brungle (Wiradyuri) family groups. Paul acknowledges his diverse First Nation history, he particularly identifies as a descendant of Onyong aka Jindoomang, Ngambri Leader/Law Man from Weereewaa (Lake George) and Henry ‘Black Harry’ Williams from Namadgi who were both multilingual, essentially Walgalu--Wiradjuri speaking warriors and –Wallaballooa man William Lane aka ‘Billy the Bull’ - Murrjinille. Paul was born at the old Canberra hospital in the centre of his ancestral country and strongly acknowledges his First Nation matriarch ancestors, in particular his mother Dr Aunty Matilda House-Williams and grandmother, Ms Pearl Simpson-Wedge. Paul completed a Bachelor of Community Management from Macquarie University, and Graduate Certificate in Wiradjuri Language, Culture and Heritage and Management from CSU. Paul provided the Welcome to Country for the 47th Opening of Federal Parliament in 2022. Paul is Board Director, Ngambri Local Aboriginal Land Council, Member Indigenous Reference Group, National Museum of Australia and Australian Government Voice Referendum Engagement Group. Paul works on country with the ANU, First Nations Portfolio as a Senior Community Engagement Officer.

MODERATOR

Professor Mark Evans is Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research) at Charles Sturt. His research focuses on the design of democratic governance practices to build better trust systems between government and citizen. Mark has played an international role in supporting change governance practices and has acted as a senior policy advisor, designed and delivered leadership development programs and managed evaluation projects for 26 countries, the EU, UN and the World Bank. His latest book written with Professor Gerry Stoker is Saving Democracy published by Bloomsbury Books.

An event hosted by Charles Sturt University and the Australian Centre for Christianity and Culture