The Voice: A Deep Dive

This is a past event. Discover more programs and exhibitions here.

Ages: Recommended for 18+

Join us for a deep dive into the 2023 Referendum to alter the Australian Constitution to recognise the First Peoples of Australia by establishing an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice to Parliament. This in-depth discussion will be facilitated by presenter and journalist, Karla Grant, and feature, storyteller and lawyer, Teela Reid, and activist, Aunty Bronwyn Penrith.

No matter how the nation votes, this decision will have major implications for all Australians. The panel of legal and community experts will unpack the importance of the upcoming referendum, provide information about Constitutional change, and offer an opportunity to ask questions. Topics covered will include what the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice is; where the idea came from; and whether The Voice is the best next step for wider Australia to come together to change the lives of First Nation peoples.

This special event will include a music performance by Blanche, the creative alias of John Grant, a self-produced First Nations musician (Wiradjuri) from Sydney.

The Voice: A Deep Dive will include an Auslan interpreter.

Please note there is limited seating available in Hintze Hall for the talk and seats will be allocated on a first-come, first-serve basis. Standing room will also be available. Our permanent galleries will be open throughout the night.

Click here to read the Australian Museum's Statement regarding the Voice to Parliament.

Karla Grant is an Australian presenter, producer and journalist, and proud Arrernte woman, with an extensive media career that spans over 30 years, working primarily in Indigenous news and current affairs for NITV and SBS. She is a known and respected voice in the Australian media and a spokesperson for Indigenous affairs. Karla joined SBS in 1995 as a producer, reporter, director and presenter on the network’s first ever Indigenous news and current affairs program ICAM, which won a Walkley Award during her time. In 2003, Karla commenced her most recognisable role as the iconic host and Executive Producer of NITV’s Living Black. In 2018, Karla was a co-recipient of the John Newfong Award for Excellence in Indigenous Reporting for The Point program at the Kennedy Awards. She was also awarded a First Nations Media Award for Best Interview for her Living Black half-hour interview with former Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd.

Teela Reid is a Rebellious Lawyer, storyteller, essayist and proud Wiradjuri and Wailwan woman. Teela is also the co-founder of @blackfulla_bookclub, an Instagram platform that honours First Nations Ancestors as the original Storytellers. Teela is currently a Sydney-based Senior Solicitor in Aboriginal Land Rights litigation and in 2022, was appointed the inaugural First Nations Lawyer in residence at The University of Sydney Law School. She is also a key advocate for the Uluru Statement from the Heart and was recently appointed to the Federal Government’s Referendum Engagement Group to provide strategic input on the Referendum on a First Nations Voice to Parliament. In 2022, Teela was awarded the Australian Law Awards’ Indigenous Leader of the Year.

Aunty Bronwyn Penrith is a Wiradjuri woman from NSW. Bronwyn is based in the Redfern community and has been a part of a number of campaigns since the 1970s, including the Tent Embassy in Canberra. She is currently a Director of the Redfern Foundation and the Chairperson of the Mudgin-Gal Aboriginal Women’s Corporation. Bronwyn was also a founding member of the Redfern/Waterloo Aboriginal Justice Group; has served as Chairperson of the Inner-city Aboriginal Women’s Consultative Group; as a representative of the Ministerial Advisory Committee and NSW Aboriginal Women to the National Indigenous Women Gathering Working Party; as part of the Redfern/Waterloo Taskforce on Family and Community Violence; and many other positions that ensure Aboriginal voices are heard in those forums where they need to be.

Blanche is the creative alias of John Grant, a self-produced First Nations musician (Wiradjuri) hailing from Sydney. Blanche produces all his music in his bedroom studio and creates music under many genres such as alternative rock, acoustic, psychedelia and RnB. Blanche uses music to explore and understand the world around him as well as delve into his own psyche.