On Saturday, 14 October 2023, Australians will have their say in a referendum about whether to change the Constitution to recognise the First Peoples of Australia by establishing a body called the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice.

Voters will be asked to vote ‘yes’ or ‘no’ on a single question. The question on the ballot paper will be:

“A Proposed Law: to alter the Constitution to recognise the First Peoples of Australia by establishing an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice.

Do you approve this proposed alteration?”

Yes or No?

At Tomorrow’s Teacher, we feel it is vital to teach our students about current societal issues. Bringing the real world into the classroom is not only engaging, but it helps shape the opinions and beliefs of our young people. This is why we have put together a free resource for you to use in your classroom to expose students to the debates surrounding The Voice referendum. Our free resource comes complete with a teacher guide, compiled research, printables, and student resources. You can use it in any subject, though it does lend itself to a Humanities, English, History, or Pastoral Care class.

We are in a powerful position as teachers as we get an opportunity every day to support the development of our young people. These young people are our nation's future, and they are often more aware, informed, and opinionated than adults give them credit for. By putting a spotlight on the upcoming referendum in our classrooms, we are showing students that this issue matters, AND their opinion on it matters too.

This resource supports students in developing the essential skills required to engage in debate. Teaching effective debating skills is essential for civic development. Firstly, understanding legal processes (in this case, referenda) allows students to grasp the mechanisms of democratic decision-making and foster their active participation in the democratic process. Also, the ability to debate effectively cultivates critical thinking, analytical reasoning, and the capacity to express one's viewpoints, which are skills profoundly valuable in various aspects of everyday life. Debating also nurtures essential communication skills, encompassing public speaking, active listening, and persuasive argumentation, which can be applied in various contexts.

Cartoon by Cathy Wilcox, sourced from Mayo, T, O’Brien, K, 2023, ‘The Voice to Parliament Handbook’, Hardie Grant Explore, Melbourne.

There are other ways that you can bring this issue into your classroom other than this resource. If you are teaching Maths, you could have students plot or create an infographic on key statistics related to First Nations people, such as the fact that they are 12.5 times more likely to be imprisoned as an adult, and 26 times more likely to be imprisoned as a child, despite only making up 3.2% of the Australian population (statistics sourced from Australian Law Reform Commission and Australian Institute of Health and Welfare). In English, students could use one of the many cartoons (see example) related to this referendum or have students construct Letters to the Editor about the issue. In History, students could research the 1967 referendum where 90.77 percent of Australians said ‘Yes’ so that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples would be counted as part of the population (in the census) and the Commonwealth could make laws for them. Or they could research the Mabo case of 1992, which ended the 200-year concept of terra nullius. Or, they could research the policies that have been inflicted upon First Nations people, such as those that led to the removal of thousands of children from their families in the seventies. Putting Indigenous issues on the table in any classroom is essential if we are to open up these discussions and support students to ask questions and challenge the status quo.

Download the free ‘The Voice Debate’ here, and if you wish to show your support of the Voice Referendum, Tomorrow’s Teacher encourages you to buy an Aboriginal Flag badge to wear.

It is important for Tomorrow’s Teacher to disclose that whilst every effort went into making this resource without opinion, to allow for a healthy debate, Tomorrow’s Teacher will support The Voice Referendum and vote ‘YES’. Therefore, it is disclosed to consider any unintentional bias present in the free resource provided.

Tomorrow’s Teacher encourages you to buy an Aboriginal Flag badge to wear to show your support of The Voice Referendum.