The Voice coming to One Day

A leading advocate for a First Nations Voice to be enshrined in the Constitution will be in Fremantle as a highlight of the 2023 One Day celebration.

Thomas Mayo has travelled the country since 2017 talking Voice, Truth and Treaty in campaigning for the Uluru Statement from the Heart. The Kaurareg Aboriginal and former wharf labourer will be a keynote speaker at One Day, to be held on Saturday 28 January in the heart of Freo at Walyalup Koort.

Mayor Hannah Fitzhardinge said the One Day celebration would be one of several opportunities in coming months for Fremantle residents and visitors to join the conversation about the upcoming national referendum on constitutional recognition through an Indigenous Voice to Parliament—an advisory body of Indigenous people to express views to MPs on policy and legislation that would affect their communities.

Already acknowledged as a catalyst for the growing national conversation about changing the date on which we celebrate Australia’s national day, One Day will this year be a springboard for local engagement and activities that support community education on the referendum expected to take place later in 2023.

Mr Mayo will deliver a keynote address and Q&A session as part of a broad program of activities developed by the City in close consultation with members of its Walyalup Reconciliation Action Plan (WRAP) group.

Mayor Fitzhardinge said the WRAP group had been instrumental in encouraging the City to shine a spotlight on the upcoming referendum, and the campaign for a constitutionally enshrined Voice.

“Elders have asked us to really bring that conversation to the community in every way that we can and One Day is a perfect platform,” she said.

Between August 2017 and March 2019, Mr Mayo took around Australia the original canvas on which more than 250 people had signed the 12-paragraph Uluru Statement from the Heart and later wrote a book—Finding the Heart of the Nation. 

The City’s Senior Aboriginal Engagement Officer Brendan Moore said Mr Mayo had close spiritual ties to Fremantle, being an official of the Maritime Union of Australia, working as the National Indigenous Officer of the union.

Mr Moore said the hosting of this year’s One Day at Walyalup Koort provided a more versatile and central location for the full program of activities and helped to connect the event more effectively to the centre of Fremantle than Bathers Beach, the previous location for the Smoking Ceremony. The WRAP group were supportive of the move to accommodate more of a focus on referendum engagement.

“We’ll be using the town hall, library and civic centre as well as the outdoor lawn amphitheatre which will be a perfect place to sit and enjoy the entertainment and activities,” he said.

“One Day continues to evolve to ensure it remains at the forefront of the national conversation regarding reconciliation as well as being a fantastic day out.”

Visit the One Day Fremantle page for program details and further information.