When I was 18, I had the honour of going to South Africa on a scholarship at a time when the fight against apartheid was at an all-time high. I was taken into the township of Soweto by African National Congress (ANC) sympathisers, where I was witness to the devastating poverty and extreme inequality that they lived in and fought against.
I was passionate and hopeful, I dreamed of a fairer, more equal world for all.
Yet when someone questioned what I was doing in South Africa, why I wasn't out fighting for the First Nations people of my own country, I was left stunned and unsure.
As a young Australian, why did I know so much about the horrendous conditions that many South Africans were living in but was unaware of how Indigenous Australians were living?
I didn't know that rheumatic heart disease, a condition that has mostly been irradicated in developed countries for more than 50 years, was affecting and is still affecting a disproportionate amount of First Nations children. I didn't know that Indigenous Australians were and still are, the most incarcerated people in the world.
That's because our First Nations peoples didn't have a voice.
My mission for equality would not end in South Africa. It had only just begun.
On my return to Australia, I started attending the Invasion Day festivals at La Perouse.
When a newly-freed Nelson Mandela spoke on the steps of the Sydney Opera House in 1990, it was a beacon of hope. My dream for a fair and equal world was a little closer.
When Paul Keating delivered his iconic speech at Redfern Park in 1992, I believed our country was speeding down the road to reconciliation. When speaking about the upcoming referendum, I recall that speech, as Paul Keating's words have never been more relevant. He said:
"The message should be that there is nothing to fear or to lose in the recognition of historical truth, or the extension of social justice, or the deepening of Australian social democracy to include Indigenous Australians.
There is everything to gain."
This referendum is about recognising the oldest culture in the world in our constitution. The constitution is our federation's birth certificate, but we have a much longer history, more than 65,000 years, that needs to be remembered and respected.
It's about giving Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people the opportunity to speak on issues that affect them. A Voice to Parliament will advise the government on issues such as the poor health conditions and over-incarceration of First Nations people, to ensure that practical solutions are achieved.
It's about recognising and listening to Indigenous knowledge and experiences.
There is nothing to lose and everything to gain.
The Uluru Statement from the Heart is an invitation to all Australians to walk alongside one another, to be equal, to be united. To turn down that invitation would be a massive setback on the road to reconciliation.
Newcastle has a long and proud history of recognising and supporting the rights of our First Nations communities.
Almost 3000 people living in the Newcastle state electorate are from First Nations backgrounds and that population is only growing.
Over many years representing Newcastle, I have established strong relationships with local Awabakal, Worimi, and other First Nations communities. I know how much getting a Voice to Parliament means to them.
Previous representatives of Newcastle have led the way on First Nations rights and recognition.
Bryce Gaudry once represented Newcastle at state Parliament. As the parliamentary secretary for aboriginal affairs, he consistently advocated and fought for the rights of First Nations people, not just in Newcastle, but across NSW and Australia.
Under the leadership of Newcastle's first female lord mayor, Joy Cummings, City of Newcastle was the first council in all of Australia to fly the Aboriginal flag above a city hall.
Their advocacy and their legacy lives on in Newcastle, where the fight for equality is never ending.
I am sure that this referendum will be no different and that Newcastle will turn up with resounding support for constitutional recognition and a Voice to Parliament.
Tim Crakanthorp is the Member for Newcastle
Image: 2023 National NAIDOC Person of the Year Kelvin Kong and his daughter Ellery raise the Aboriginal flag outside City of Newcastle's Stewart Avenue building in 2021. Picture Max Mason-Hubers
