Berry Street supports the Voice to Parliament

Berry Street’s vision for reconciliation is an Australia where Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and families have the same life opportunities as all Australians.

Unfortunately, this vision is far from reality. In our work providing safe homes, healing trauma, addressing family violence and providing trauma-informed education, we see an over-representation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children, young people and families.

Despite the numerous reports, system changes and efforts over decades, progress has been slow and there is still a significant disparity between Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and non-Indigenous Australians when it comes to health, education, economic opportunities, levels of incarceration, and numbers of children in out-of-home care.

We believe it is time for change and we support the Voice to Parliament. The call for the Voice, along with Treaty and Truth, was made by First Nations people through the Uluru Statement from the Heart, which was "the most proportionally significant consultation process of First Nations peoples Australia has ever seen" according to the Uluru Dialogue.

We support the Voice to Parliament because it offers renewed hope that we, the Australian people, through our parliament, will listen to and consult Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples on matters that affect them.

Michael Perusco

CEO, Berry Street