Larissa Minniecon and Te Raine Watego have set up #voicetopower, a campaign to maximise the vote for the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice enshrined in the Australian Constitution. They seek to be a team of speakers for churches wanting to urge Christians to consider voting yes in the referendum of the voice. Both women are part of Scarred Tree Indigenous Ministries at St John’s Anglican Glebe in inner Sydney.
“As a Kabi Kabi, Gureng Gureng, Ambryn and Torres Strait Islander woman with over 20 years’ community development experience in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities, I help break down barriers to relationship building with First Nations peoples,” says Minniecon. “I bring people together over stories of culture, history and values. It’s a skill I’m using to complete my Master of Narrative Therapy and Community Work.”
“In 2023, I’m on a mission to get out the ‘Yes’ vote on the Voice Referendum. I’m advocating for a #voicetopower – by informing and educating people on the Voice.”
Watego has also made #voicetopower a top priority for 2023. “My passion for Indigenous justice started early. Whether by giving an award-winning speech on Maori sovereignty when I was 13 or being part of Scarred Tree Indigenous Ministries at St John’s Anglican Glebe, I’ve advocated for First Nations’ self-determination. The reason? I like getting people excited about change and seeing the world be a better place. Right now, that’s #voicetopower, a campaign to get out the ‘Yes’ vote on the 2023 Voice Referendum.
“Outside of the office, I’m learning my Indigenous
language, Maori, and am committed to continually learning about faith and organising. A fan of ironic humour and slap-stick comedy, I’m currently laughing my way through Cunk on Earth on Netflix.”
What #voicetopower says
Theothercheek posed a couple of questions to the #voicetopower team.
What’s the main thing Christians need to hear about the voice?
The Voice referendum proposal is moderate, logical and pragmatic.
Christians have the ability to organise people. We have influence and power to provide further influence and agency in our churches to effect change. But Christians need to be able to see themselves as agents of change first. This is who we at #voicetopower are advocating to – the moderate Christian who may have an uncomfortable relationship with power or see themselves outside the realm of politics.
How does the voice fit with what the Bible says?
The Voice referendum is political.
In Romans 13, Apostle Paul outlines two core functions of our governing authorities. First, he talks about how they’re charged with restraining evil. We, as Christians, tend to focus on this side. But Paul goes on to say that the other function of governing authorities is to serve and promote the common good. No question that the authorities have to play a role in restraining evil; being the reason why we have police and military. But the other side of governing authorities is that they’re charged with providing for the common good. From a Biblical perspective, Christians can’t understand the common good without understanding God’s particular concern for the marginalised, weak and vulnerable in our communities.
A definition, a moral test of our politics, is how the weak and the marginalised are faring in our system. Or, put another way, how the orphan, the widow, the stranger and the poor are faring in our political system. That should be our focus as Christians engaged in politics.
The Voice’s purpose is to provide a voice for the voiceless against whom the Government has used the race power in the Constitution exclusively. They suffer from a structural weakness in our democracy, meaning they fare worse in our political system. The Voice aims to give them a better, genuine chance to participate on a more equal footing. Christians can and should feel free to support the proposal.
#voicetopower goes public
The first of what #voicetopower hopes to be many public events
• St Stephen’s Belrose, Wed 15 March @ 7.30 pm – register for the free event on Eventbrite – Search Voice
• Surrender Festival, Saturday, 25 March
People interested in running something similar to contact:
Te Raina Watego