A crowd of 50-odd people gathered on Saturday morning to take part in the Walk for Yes in Broken Hill and show their support for a positive outcome ahead of the Voice to Parliament referendum on October 14.
Meeting outside the courthouse before marching down Argent St towards Iodide St, the group then crossed to the other side of the main drag to finish up at the Town Square. Here, a rally was held, with guest speakers telling people the benefits of voting yes in the upcoming referendum.
“It was exciting to see it come together the way it did and to see the number of people engaged on the day. People were listening and talking together and getting information which was pleasing to see,” Broken Hill for Yes Coordinator, Dionne Devlin, told the Barrier Truth.
The event and group’s campaigning is “to give people the information they need to make an informed decision” says Ms Devlin, adding that a Yes vote at the polls will benefit First Nations people and communities in Australia.
“I wanted people to see that there is substantial support for this in Broken Hill and I wanted people to be able to get the information they need to make a decision,” she said while noting Broken Hill for Yes representatives will turn out for other events in the coming weeks, including NAIDOC Family Fun Day at Sturt Park on Thursday, October 5.
“We really encourage everyone in Broken Hill to get along and have a listen to our First Nations people and those that are working in the sectors that will be affected when Aboriginal people have an opportunity to influence the programs that are created for them.
“It’s such an important referendum, such an important topic, and it can make a huge difference to Aboriginal people in Australia when they get the opportunity to be heard. A vote for Yes means an opportunity for us to walk into the future together, having more opportunities and more opportunities to grow.”
