Waiben celebrates National Children’s Day ‘Yes’ campaigners shed light on Voice

BY CARLI WILLIS

Yes23 campaigners Noel Pearson, Richie Ahmat and Kenny Bedford joined local Zenadth Kes leaders in Waiben on Tuesday to discuss what a Voice to Parliament might mean to Indigenous Australians in the lead up to this year’s Constitutional Referendum.

Far North Queensland organiser for the Yes23 campaign, Stacee Ketchell, has also visited most of the Torres Strait’s outer islands over the past week.

Around 100 people gathered to hear from the leaders at the Waiben forum, which ran for about four hours.

Noel Pearson, who had travelled from Garma festival on Yolgnu Country to join the forum, said the

Voice was a national body, although regional voices were also likely to be established.

He said the Voice would talk directly to parliament about “bigger issues” such as health, infrastructure and transport in remote communities.

“Issues like that, we can’t expect every island to fight for by themselves,” he said.

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