26 June 2023
Organisations representing people with diverse literacy, language or cultural backgrounds and disabilities have come together to develop freely available accessible resources about the establishment of a First Nations Voice to Parliament in Australia.
The resources include fact sheets, social media tiles, audio resources and videos that will be translated into 50 community languages, 45 established languages and emerging languages. The translations also include 5 Aboriginal languages currently in development. The resources have been tailored to provide information about the purpose of the referendum and the question people will be asked later this year for people with low literacy levels and people requiring information in other languages.
Life Without Barriers, Reconciliation Australia, SNAICC – National Voice for our Children, Yes23 and Polaron Language Services have worked together to develop these accessible resources.
Chief Executive of Life Without Barriers, Claire Robbs said this year, we will be asked to make an important decision about the Referendum and our goal is to ensure that regardless of language, linguistic competency, or cultural background, all Australians have access to information so they can make an informed decision on a Voice to Parliament.
“As a national provider of services, we believe we have an important role to help support the sharing of accessible information for people in the communities we serve,” Ms Robbs said.
“That includes many people who require information in Auslan, Easy and plain English, accessible formats, auditory formats and alternative languages.”
“The upcoming Referendum will be a pivotal moment in our nation’s history. Everyone deserves to understand what they are voting for and the significance of their decision.”
The objective of the project is to ensure widespread availability and accessibility of information regarding the establishment of a First Nations Voice to Parliament in Australia. The plan aims to inform Australian voters who may not find mainstream and existing information on voice accessible.
“As a national service provider, our dedicated team of 13,000 carers and staff support more than 23,000 people, including those who live in regional, rural and remote communities or who may not have reliable access to the internet or the news media. We’re targeting our work to reach those people and communities,“ Ms Robbs said.
“The intention of this project goes far beyond the scope of our organisation. We will continue to work with other community organisations across the country to ensure these resources reach a wider network than just Life Without Barriers, including Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities."
“We want to ensure that no one is left out of having accurate and reliable information about their choice in the upcoming referendum.
“I look forward to continuing to work with Reconciliation Australia, SNAICC – National Voice for our Children, Yes 23 and Polaron Language Services to ensure accurate information about the Voice to Parliament is available to all.” Ms Robbs said.
Access the translated materials here Voice to Parliament - Translated Social Media Toolkits and Resources - Referendum Support | Life Without Barriers (lwb.org.au)
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