SYDNEY, 27 July 2023: The ‘Yes’ campaign got a boost with the South Asian Diaspora massively supporting it here. More than sixty South Asian Australian leaders attended the first Desis For Yes Walking Together community workshop in Parramatta on Sunday 23 July 2023, ahead of the Indigenous Voice to Parliament referendum later this year.
Leaders from several diasporas, including the Bangladeshi, Bengali, Gujarati, Indo-Fijian, Malayali, Nepali, Pakistani and Tamil communities attended the workshop on the Uluru Statement from The Heart, with many accepting the invitation to take further action in their communities.
NSW State MP for Liverpool, Charishma Kaliyanda, who shared reflections at the event, said, “it’s great to see grassroots movements like Desis For Yes engaging the South Asian and multicultural diaspora to better understand and support the Voice to Parliament – it’s incredibly important.”
“All of us as migrants and non-Indigenous Australians cannot ignore that we live on Indigenous land. We cannot truly belong until there is a Voice for our First Nations people.”
The workshop was facilitated by leaders, Indigenous woman Nicole Laupepa and non-indigenous woman Jacqui Parker from Youth Off The Streets. They first created the Walking Together workshop five years ago, well before the referendum was announced, and have been travelling around the country delivering it to thousands of migrant Australians.
Laupepa said “it has been heartening to speak to so many leaders across Indian and South Asian diaspora communities who are deeply interested in our heritage and history, and who are in deep solidarity with us at this historic moment.
“What the Uluru Statement from the Heart is asking is quite simply that we as Australians choose to walk together towards a better future, and Sunday’s Walking Together conversation with Desis For Yes was yet another example of that,” Laupepa continued.
As the polls tighten, campaigners are emphasising the importance of grassroots conversations within diaspora, faith, and regional communities across Australia to build understanding of the upcoming referendum and maximise a ‘yes’ vote.
Yes 23 National Multicultural Engagement Coordinator Brad Chilcott AM said “it has been so encouraging to see Australia’s multicultural community so invested in learning more about the Voice to Parliament and why it is so important in the context of First Nations’ history and experience since 1788.
Migrant and refugee communities deeply understand what a huge difference it makes to outcomes for people when communities can shape solutions for the challenges they face and have a say on the issues that impact them,” said Chilcott.
Indo-Fijian leader and CEO of the Sydney Community Forum, Asha Ramzan said, “I’m so glad I came to this workshop because today was about deeply being part of a conversation and understanding what the referendum is about, and doing so with other Indians from my community.”
“For me it is important that we vote yes. It is important that we understand why we are voting yes and that we understand the legacy of colonisation, which we have been through.”
Co-Convenor of Desis For Yes, Nishadh Rego was pleased by the number of people interested in the initiative. “People have reached out from Melbourne, Perth, Adelaide, and the Northern Territory wanting to know more about what Desis For Yes is doing, and if they can help in any way,” Rego said.
“We welcome everyone who is ready to roll up their sleeves and have honest, open, and respectful conversations about the invitation of the Uluru Statement From The Heart, and the importance of a constitutionally enshrined Indigenous Voice to Parliament.” Rego continued.
Source- Desis For Yes media release.
