A statement from our Executive Director, Florence Drummond:
The Development Partner Institute (DPI) is a global organisation that supports the mining industry value chain in becoming integrated and proactive development partners, delivering on economic, environmental, and social shared purpose. DPI is committed to supporting meaningful engagement between the mining value chain and Indigenous communities, and to developing partnerships that benefit both parties.
As a global organisation, DPI does not get involved in in-country politics. However, from my position as the Executive Director of DPI and a Dauareb Wuthathi woman born and raised in the Torres Strait, I believe that the Voice referendum is an important opportunity for First Nations peoples to have a say in their own future.
From this perspective, I’m proud to say that DPI supports the Voice for the following reasons:
- It is a formal recognition of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as the First Peoples of Australia.
- It will give Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples a direct say in the development and implementation of policies that affect their lives.
- It will create a new era of partnership between Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and the Australian government.
I believe that the referendum is about giving First Nations peoples a voice in the decision-making process that affects their lives – an important determination across the globe. We urge all Australians to learn more about the Voice referendum and to make their own decision about how to vote.
Further, no matter the outcome of the vote on 14 October, I also believe that this national conversation needs to be continued. I took on this role at DPI because I believe in collaboration and deep dialogue – and if nothing else, the national conversation has shown that we have a long way to go when it comes to making Indigenous voices truly heard in Australia.
To this end, our Youth Salon program, commencing next month on 9 October on Indigenous Peoples Day, aims to bring together young, Indigenous voices – traditionally a marginalised or misunderstood cohort in the global mining value chain – from across the world to engage around what the future could look like for them.