Business acknowledges the work of the Joint Select Committee on Constitutional Recognition in producing its final report and continues to call for long overdue recognition for Indigenous Australians.

“As outlined in our submissions to the Committee, the Business Council has long supported constitutional recognition and strongly supports constitutional enshrinement of The Voice.

“We acknowledge the Committee’s recommendations for further work on the design of The Voice but call for that work to be conducted with purpose and urgency to avoid holding up long overdue constitutional recognition.

“The Uluru Statement from the Heart articulates what meaningful constitutional recognition looks like to Indigenous communities and we urge political leaders to work with bipartisanship towards a referendum quickly.  

“A co-design process, as recommended, should outline how The Voice will be progressed to referendum as quickly as is practicably possible, in a manner that is Indigenous-led and engages all Australians”

“Our members are firmly committed to Indigenous empowerment and economic inclusion.

“Our members employ more than 20,000 Indigenous Australians and have spent or contracted more than $2 billion with Indigenous-owned businesses and joint ventures since 2014.

The Business Council’s initial and supplementary submissions to the Joint Select Committee on Constitutional Recognition Relating to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples are available online.

Download the Business Council's Constitutional Recognition fact sheet here