When
Where
Why
Nation-wide snap protest. We demand more than just a Voice to Parliament.
On Saturday the 11th of March First Nations Peoples will converge on key sites in capital cities across the continent to protest against the Australian Government's proposed "Voice to Parliament".
Rallies will take place at:
- Queen's Gardens, Meanjin (Brisbane),
- Hyde Park, Warrane (Sydney),
- Parliament House, Ngunnawal country (Canberra),
- Parliament House, Naarm (Melbourne).
The protests have been called and organised by the Black People's Union (BPU) as part of a growing movement of First Nations resistance to "The Voice". The Black People's Union is a Grassroots Pan-Aboriginal Organisation that advocates for First Nations struggles and fights for Indigenous Self Determination and Sovereignty.
It is the position of the Black Peoples Union that First Nations political agendas must be driven by and accountable to all First Nations peoples. They must be determined through our own decision-making processes and based on the social and economic needs of our communities. Our political agendas and decision-making processes are not merely the business of a handful of individuals hand-picked and resourced by the Australian Government.
We maintain that First Nations Peoples already have diverse models of governance and systems of decision-making suited to our communities and our needs. In the nearly two-and-a-half centuries since the invasion of our territories began, we have fought long and hard to maintain and protect these systems, along with the self-determined control of our lands, waters, seas and resources.
We maintain that First Nations Peoples already have voices, as well as mechanisms and procedures for expressing them collectively. We assert that First Nations Peoples have been raising our voices to the deaf ears of the Settler-Colonial forces for centuries, and that The Australian Government and its parliamentarians lack the will to listen.