EVENT FULL.

Please note a film of the event will be available in the coming weeks.

The 2023 Voice to Parliament Referendum marked a significant time in Australian history when the nation determined they did not want to give Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people a Voice to Parliament.

One year on from the failed 2023 referendum, there have been social and cultural implications which have stemmed from the ‘No’ vote. As a nation, how do we move forward with reconciliation and in solidarity?

Held during NAIDOC Week, the event One Year On from the Voice to Parliament brings together the voices of Indigenous leaders in Western Australia who will share their perspective on the grief, truth-telling and action needed to continue the journey of reconciliation and achieve outcomes for First Nations people in Australia.

The event will be held in Fremantle Arts Centre’s beautiful Wardong Gallery, surrounded by art from our Revealed exhibition, featuring exclusively new and emerging Aboriginal West Australian artists.

Moderated by First Nations advocate Emma Garlett, the panel will explore the perspectives of emerging leaders, cultural ambassadors and those affected firsthand by the negative result, to discuss the cultural and social implications that followed the failed referendum and where we go from here, one year on.

The panel includes Noongar leader Carol Innes AM, Palyku, Ngangumarta and Yindjibarndi woman, Sophie Coffin, the WA Youth Representative of the Uluru Statement from the Heart, Bardi and Kariyarra lawyer Tyson McEwan, and Noongar and Eastern Arrernte Artist Jade Dolman.

All visitors will be welcomed to Walyalup on Whadjuk Nyoongar Boodja by First Nations custodian, Ingrid Cumming.

Speakers

Emma Garlett – Moderator

Emma is a Noongar, Yamatji and Nyiyaparli woman from Geraldton, and the director of Garlett Group, a communications and sustainability agency. Emma is passionate about justice, law reform and self-determination.

Carol Innes – Panelist

Carol is a Noongar woman and Co-director of the Aboriginal-led project Danjoo Koorliny – Walking Together. Carol is the immediate past co-chair of Reconciliation WA and a board member of the Art Gallery of WA. She has a wealth of experience in not-for-profits, arts and cultural organisations, state and federal government agencies, and Aboriginal community organisations.

Sophie Coffin – Panelist

 Sophie Coffin is a proud Palyku, Ngangumarta and Yindjibarndi lawyer from the Pilbara. Sophie holds a Bachelor of Arts in Law and Indigenous Studies and Juris Doctor degree from UWA. She is currently a lawyer at a Perth law firm and board director at Glass Jar Australia. Sophie is a WA Youth Representative of the Uluru Statement from the Heart. As Miss NAIDOC in 2018, Sophie has spoken at a number of events across the state. Sophie is also an alumni of the US Department of State’s International Visitors’ Leadership Program, through which Sophie learnt about Indigenous Leadership from Native American peoples. Sophie has presented internationally at conferences on Indigenous education and leadership.

 Tyson McEwan – Panelist

 Tyson McEwan is a proud Bardi and Kariyarra man from the Pilbara region of WA. He recently graduated from his law degree at UWA and is a lawyer at a Perth law firm.

Jade Dolman

Jade Dolman is a Nyoongar and Eastern Arrernte woman from Perth. She is a visual artist and remains connected to her culture through painting and family. Her art shares stories of the land prior to colonisation and highlights the resilience we have as Noongar people to have maintained our strong cultural connection to boodjar.