MULTICULTURAL communities in the city are banding together to put their support behind the yes vote in the Indigenous Voice to Parliament referendum.
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This comes with early voting to begin in Victoria on October 2 with polling taking place at Ballarat Showgrounds this week.
Ballarat Regional Multicultural Council acting chief executive officer Suzanne Ryan-Evers said the referendum was "simply about justice and fairness".
The council hosted an information forum for about 50 people last week at Ballarat Welcome Centre to help the city's diverse multicultural communities understand their crucial role in voting in a referendum.
"We have a chance here to be forward looking as a country," Ms Ryan-Evers said. "We have a chance to be involved in a decision that will mean positive change for our children; Indigenous, multicultural and all Australians."
The forum featured representatives from Ballarat's African, Bangladeshi, Filipino, Indian, Irish, Italian, Nepalese, Pakistani, Sri Lankan, South Sudan, Persian, Malaysian, Nigerian and Zimbabwe.
Federation University's inaugural deputy vice-chancellor for reconciliation Andrew Gunstone acted as moderator for the session.
Professor Gunstone has been involved in giving presentations to a range of groups on the Voice and has told The Courier misunderstandings and misinformation were the biggest hurdles to break in clarifying details.
He said one of the common concerns was there was not enough detail, but that was not what the Constitution was all about - all the finer details were always worked out by parliament.
"To me it comes down to talking with those impacted by decisions," Professor Gunstone has said. "If you're going to decide old-age policy, you talk to the older people themselves. If you talk about policy impacting Indigenous peoples in Alice Springs, you should talk to Indigenous peoples in Alice Springs.
"It's a Voice to Parliament, not a voice of parliament and really will be similar to businesses and other organisations that go and talk to government."
IN OTHER NEWS
Australians will be asked to vote "yes" or "no" to the following - A Proposed Law: to alter the Constitution to recognise the First Peoples of Australia by establishing an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice.
Voting is compulsory. Referendum voting day is Saturday, October 14.
Eight of 44 proposed constitutional changes have been carried in a referendum in Australian history.
WHERE TO VOTE EARLY IN BALLARAT
Monday, October 2 to Friday, October 6 and Monday October 9 to Thursday, October 12
Ballarat Showgrounds, corner of Howitt Street and Creswick Road, 8.30am to 5.30pm.
Ballarat South Community Hub, 11 Tuppen Street in Sebastopol, 8.30am to 5.30pm*
*only in the second week
Saturday, October 7
Ballarat Showgrounds, 9am to 4pm.
Ballarat South Community Hub, 9am to 4pm.
Friday, October 13
Ballarat Showgrounds, 8.30am to 6pm.
Ballarat South Community Hub, 8.30am to 6pm.
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