First Nations First

Smoke sweeps through the treetops as a fire consumes the dense undergrowth of the Australian winter bush. To the uninitiated, this fire might appear to be dangerous, but it is actually a controlled, ‘cultural fire’, preparing the vegetation ahead of a looming bushfire season. The burn is part of a project in northern New South Wales showing how to use fire techniques that have been passed down by First Nations people over generations to manage land, plants and animals.

The 'no' campaign for an Indigenous Voice to Parliament has come under fire for reportedly using fear tactics to dissuade voters from supporting the government's proposal for constitutional change. Meanwhile, the Albanese government are applauding their efforts so far to address critical labor shortages in the aged care sector.

The writs have now been issued for the Indigenous Voice to Parliament referendum, locking in the vote for Saturday, October 14. Here is how to vote early if you cannot get to a polling place on the day.

At the end of another week of referendum campaigning, both the 'Yes' and 'No' camps are asking Australians to think about the future, beyond the referendum on the Indigenous Voice to Parliament on the 14th of October.

Aboriginal Australian activist and academic Marcia Langton has made a rallying call of support for an Indigenous Voice to Parliament at the National Press Club. This comes as First Nations mental health advocates call for politicians to pledge to engage in a more respectful referendum debate.

174 cultural items taken from a remote indigenous community in the 1950s by an English anthropologist have been handed over to elders in what experts hope will prove to be a ‘trigger’ for other museums to return similar materials. Members of the Anindilyakwa community travelled to the English city of Manchester for the emotional ceremony. Later this year, the items will be returned to Groote Island, 50 kilometres off the Northern Territory Coast.

As the yes and no campaigns for the Indigenous Voice to Parliament referendum gather steam ahead of the vote on October 14, the most recent polling suggesting support for the yes case has dropped below a majority. The opposition has continued to press its case for a second referendum if the no vote is carried. But the government says the Coalition aren't engaging in the substance of the Voice and are only interested in politics.

The Opposition's Indigenous Australians spokeswoman Jacinta Nampijinpa Price speaks to SBS Political Correspondent Anna Henderson about the Indigenous Voice to Parliament, and her support for the 'No' campaign.

With a date now set for the Indigenous Voice to Parliament referendum, the debate over Australia's future is heading out of Canberra and to the regions. SBS travelled to Orange in the New South Wales Central Tablelands to find out what people there are thinking.

The Indigenous Voice to Parliament referendum campaign is well underway with the vote to be held in just under 6 weeks. Both the yes and no sides have been focusing on key battle-ground states in Tasmania, Queensland and South Australia.