“And he says, yes, the real Uluru Statement. So he pulls it out of this giant cylinder and lays it on my loungeroom floor. And everyone stands up and the most extraordinary thing happened. We felt it’s heart beating. And understood intuitively as Aboriginal people as we looked at that document that our ancestors were in the room with us while we looked at that” - Catherine Liddle.

Australia is set to vote on a referendum to enshrine a First Nations voice in the constitution by mid-2024, a commitment made by the Albanese government during the 2022 federal election campaign

The Voice to Parliament is seen by many as Australia’s opportunity to right longstanding wrongs, give First Nations people a seat at the table and recognise that we are a nation with more than 60,000 years of continuous culture.

As a key campaigner for the Uluru Statement from the Heart, Thomas Mayo has been at the forefront of the movement towards constitutional recognition. In 2017 he travelled around Australia with the Uluru Statement, speaking to many different people and communities and ultimately writing a book, Finding The Heart of The Nation, about his journey.

This episode features highlights of Thomas Mayo in-conversation with Catherine Liddle, CEO of SNAICC, the national non-governmental peak body for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children. Together, they discuss Australia’s journey towards constitutional recognition for First Nations people in this special event recorded as part of the 2023 Castlemaine State Festival.

Presented in partnership with Castlemaine State Festival.

This event was recorded at Castlemaine Goods Shed on Saturday April 1st 2023.

Featured music is Taargus by Jobii.

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