The Australian Institute of Architects has announced its support for the Indigenous Voice to Parliament and constitutional recognition of First Nations peoples in the referendum scheduled for later this year.
"We recognise that Constitutional Recognition of First Nations peoples is the right and just thing to do and is a critical step in righting many of the past wrongs that are deeply entrenched in our history," the Institute said in a statement.
"We advocate a Voice to Parliament as a critical first step to achieving reconciliation that reflects a truly Australian democracy and upholds First Nations self-determination."
The statement notes that support for the Voice is consistent with the Institute's constitution, which recognizes the "unceded sovereign lands and rights of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Island peoples as the First Peoples of these lands and waters."
The Institute has taken a number of steps to support First Nations peoples within its governance structures in recent years, including establishing its own "voice" through the First Nations Advisory Committee.
It said support of the Voice was a "natural and just" way to proceed, which would support shared and well-informed decision making about programs affecting First Nations people.
The Voice to Parliament was a key objective of the Uluru Statement from the Heart, created by over 250 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander delegates in 2017. The Statement from the Heart also called for a Makarrata Commission to supervise a process of agreements between governments and First Nations, and telling their stories truthfully.
Previously, Indigenous Architecture and Design Australia also announced its support for the Voice to Parliament as well as constitutional recognition.
