Oxfam invites you to an online community gathering to learn more about the Voice Referendum.

Together with special guests, former Socceroo and 2023 NSW Australian of the Year Craig Foster AM and Yes advocate and First Nations engagement specialist Jade Ritchie, and Briony Benjamin as the MC, we will talk about why constitutional recognition of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples through a Voice to Parliament is a crucial step on the path to creating a better future.

Attendees will have an opportunity to ask questions, share their feedback and learn about ways to engage in their local communities. This meeting is open to all Oxfam staff and supporters, their friends, colleagues and networks.

What: Understanding The Voice
When: Tuesday 8th of August at 12pm AEST
Where: Online

This is an opportunity for our community to come together, learn and engage in a constructive conversation about the Voice Referendum and its potential impact. The Voice is a key reform in the Uluru Statement from the Heart which asks all Australians to recognise the rightful place of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples in their own country by establishing and enshrining a First Nations Voice in the Constitution. We wholeheartedly accept this invitation and invite you to join us to walk together towards this historic reform.

About the speakers

Jade Appo-Ritchie:

Jade is from the Bunda Clan of the Gooreng Gooreng Nation. Originally from Bundaberg, Jade has lived on Larrakia country for the past 10 years and is an advocate for the Uluru Statement from the Heart. Jade has extended that advocacy to be a spokesperson for the Yes campaign in the lead up to Referendum 2023.

Jade has 20 years’ experience working on programs and initiatives to enhance Aboriginal engagement and leadership capabilities across Queensland and the Northern Territory including remote communities in Arnhem Land and Central Australia.

Jade currently works as General Manager, Business Development with environmental services company Tellus Holdings, which she joined following a role with the National Indigenous Australians Agency, as Director of Economic Development and Major Projects.

Craig Foster AM

Following a decorated football career as Australia’s 419th Socceroo and 40th Captain, Craig has become one of Australia’s most respected sportspeople as well as a broadcaster, social justice advocate and human rights campaigner.

With an 18-year, triple Logie-winning career, he quickly became one of Australia’s most respected sports broadcasters with Australia’s multicultural broadcaster, Special Broadcasting Service (SBS). A member of the Australian Multicultural Council under the Department of Home Affairs, Immigration and Citizenship division, Craig works across a vast range of social programs, including First Nations rights and self-determination, homelessness and domestic violence, climate action and gender equality and is particularly well known for his refugee advocacy.

He is an Ambassador for Amnesty Australia, the Affinity Intercultural Foundation and Addison Road Community Centre including their #RacismNotWelcome campaign for Local Councils across Australia, Pushing Barriers, an Australia Committee member with Human Rights Watch, Advisory Council member of the Australian Human Rights Institute, UNSW and a Director of the Crescent Foundation.

Briony Benjamin

Briony Benjamin is a keynote speaker, viral video producer, cancer survivor and author of Life Is Tough But So Are You.

About Oxfam Australia

Oxfam Australia has a strong history over 50-years of working as an ally with First Nations communities. We are committed to self-determination, recognition of sovereignty and a democracy that is founded on Treaty and truth-telling. We walk proudly alongside our peers in the non-government sector and with First Nations communities on the journey towards reconciliation.

In its early days as Community Aid Abroad in the 1970s, Oxfam Australia supported projects addressing land rights, cultural identity and survival, health, education and legal aid. Oxfam Australia is a founding member of the Close the Gap and Change the Record coalitions, which are Indigenous-led groups dedicated to improving health and justice outcomes for First Peoples.

Over the past decade, our Straight Talk program has brought together more than 950 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women from around the country to meet politicians, learn about Australia’s political system, and use what they learn to create change in their communities.