Former CEO of the Darkinjung Local Aboriginal Land Council and chairman of NAISDA Dance College Sean Gordon has added his voice to the Yes campaign as the national referendum approaches on October 14.
Gordon resigned from the DLALC and he is the co-convenor of the Liberals for Yes.
“Wearing a ‘Liberals for Yes’ t-shirt in some parts of regional Australia makes me think of the comedy series Little Britain where actor Matt Lucas was the ‘only gay in the village’,” Gordon said.
“In my case I feel like ‘the only black Liberal in the village’.
“Now imagine my feeling at the Garma Festival in the NT, one of the biggest events for Australia’s indigenous community.
“I got more than a few funny looks and there was no question that I stood out.
“But benefit has come from the conversations that flowed.
“With a simple t-shirt, I have been able to demonstrate how the upcoming referendum is going to be carried by every part of our community coming together to vote Yes.
“Regardless of how you vote at elections, this referendum is about standing together to build a better future for ourselves, for our children and for the generations to come.
“I am proud to be a Wangkumarra/Barkindji man and the co-convenor of the Liberals for Yes campaign.
“It has been a long journey from my upbringing in Brewarrina, where I was in foster care on the old mission, to this point – leading a campaign for the centre-right of politics to support this practical change.”
Gordon said he felt strongly that there was a place for liberals and conservatives in supporting the Yes vote.
“Even this week senior Liberals were out advocating for local Voices,” he said.
“I am calling on all liberal and conservative Liberal members, for all voters to listen openly to the arguments for constitutional recognition through a Voice.
“Martin Luther King Jr once said: ‘We will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends’.
“Now is the time for our friends to join Liberals for Yes and advocate in their own circles of influence for the Yes position.”
Gordon said he had travelled widely throughout Australia working with Indigenous communities.
“All my life I have been dedicated to empowering Indigenous people to take responsibility, and for governments to loosen their control over our lives,” he said.
“Empowering people to take responsibility for their own lives is a core liberal value.
“It is clear to me that when we work in partnership with indigenous communities at the local level, to help them help themselves, we get better results than governments deciding what is best.
“The Voice will be an advisory committee – nothing more.
“Members of the Voice will be chosen by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in their local area and serve for a fixed period.
“It will not have any veto.
“It will be made up of representatives from diverse indigenous communities.
“In 2017, I was one of over 250 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander delegates who gathered to sign the historic Uluru Statement from the Heart.
“It was an invitation to the Australian people to ‘create a better future’ and explicitly calls for ‘the establishment of a First Nations Voice enshrined in the Constitution’.
“That is what this referendum is about.
“It is not about politics; it is about people.”
Gordon is also Chair of Uphold & Recognise Managing Director of the Gidgee Group, CEO of the Yadha Muru Foundation and serves on many national boards and advisory committees.
Source:
Liberals for Yes
Pleased to contact Sean as we share same attitudes towards reconciliation