Justice is a founding principle of Vegan Australia and in keeping with this and in support of the Uluru Statement from the Heart, we urge you to vote Yes in tomorrow's Voice referendum.

The Uluru Statement from the Heart was the result of years of consultation within Indigenous communities. The statement begins: "Our Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander tribes were the first sovereign Nations of the Australian continent and its adjacent islands, and possessed it under our own laws and customs" and continues "[This sovereignty] has never been ceded or extinguished". The Statement's primary call is for the "establishment of a First Nations Voice to Parliament enshrined in the Constitution" along with "agreement-making between governments and First Nations [treaty] and truth-telling about our history."

While the current proposal for the Voice does not deliver all the major reforms in the Uluru Statement from the Heart, a victory for the No campaign is likely to inflame discrimination and racism and may demoralise the movement for further substantial change and progress in First Nations people's quest for justice. A Yes outcome will put the country in the best position to fight for First Nations' rights, including land rights, and for implementing the recommendations of the Royal Commission into Aboriginal Deaths in Custody and the Bringing Them Home report.

Vegan Australia urges you to vote Yes in tomorrow's referendum and encourages you to discuss with your friends and family the importance for First Nations people of a positive outcome in the referendum.

Vegan Australia acknowledges and respects the rights of the descendants of the first peoples of Australia and recognises their continuing connection to land, waters and culture. We recognise the violent invasion of the lands where the First Nations peoples have lived for generations. We also recognise the ongoing effects of this invasion on the lives of First Nations peoples today.

Read the Uluru Statement from the Heart and learn more about the Yes23 campaign.

Greg McFarlane
Managing Director
Vegan Australia

• Uluru Statement from the Heart
• Yes 23 campaign