QCU launches Queensland Unions for Yes campaign
Queensland Teachers' Journal, Vol 128 No 3, 5 May 2023, page no. 8
On Wednesday 29 March, the Electrical Trades Union hosted the launch of the Queensland Unions for Yes campaign at ETU Hall in South Brisbane. The launch was attended by 150 union members and officials in person, with many more watching from across the state via the live online link.
The launch was the official kick off of the Queensland Council of Unions’ (QCU) campaign as part of the national Unions for Yes campaign being coordinated by the Australian Council of Trade Unions (ACTU).
The launch occurred a week after the Prime Minister announced the final wording of the Voice to Parliament referendum question. The referendum is scheduled to take place sometime in Term 4, with the final date to be determined by federal parliament.
For members not familiar with how a referendum works (the last one, relating to a republic and amending the preamble of the constitution, occurred in 1999), it requires a double majority to be carried, i.e. a majority of all Australians eligible to vote and a majority of electors in a majority of the states (i.e. at least four of the six states - excluding the Northern Territory and ACT).
The QTU will be supporting QCU Unions for Yes campaign activities throughout the year. The campaign will focus on regional areas including Cairns and Rockhampton, along with Brisbane and the greater south-east corner of the state, but will also encourage interested members to get engaged in their local community, no matter where they live or work in the state.
Some QTU members have asked why the QTU should be involved in a campaign like this. The main reason is that we are a union. Our Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander members have asked for our support in achieving a Voice to Parliament enshrined in the Constitution, as called for in the Uluru Statement from the Heart in 2017. We are going to support our members’ call for a Voice just as we support their right to have a voice in their working lives by being part of their Union.
The other reason is that recognising First Nations people in our Constitution is just the right thing to do. We also know that closing the gap in terms of education, health and criminal justice outcomes is not an easy task, as for more than 200 years First Nations people have suffered dispossession, oppression and intergenerational trauma associated with laws and government decisions that they have had no say about.
Our Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander members have called upon us all to walk with them, and to make Australia a better country by establishing a constitutionally enshrined Voice to Parliament, a body that would advise on laws and programs that directly impact upon First Nations people and that cannot be extinguished by a future government. This will be a positive step towards better outcomes for everyone in this country.
The other critical civics challenge this year is to ensure that you are enrolled to vote and are enrolled at your current address. Young people can enrol from when they turn 16, and this process forms part of senior schooling programs in many schools across the state. Just under half of all year 12 students in Queensland this year will be eligible to vote by the time the referendum occurs later in 2023.
If you need to enrol or change your details, you can head to the Australian Electoral Commission website for information on the process https://www.aec.gov.au/enrol/
If you are interested in getting involved in the campaign in your local area, contact your QTU Regional Organiser.
You can also sign the Queensland Unions For Yes “Pledge to Vote Yes” and keep up to date on campaign information and events at https://act.qldunions.com/unions-for-yes