UPDATE: More than 1,600 individuals have now signed on (the first 1000 in less than a week)!

We, the undersigned, are doctors and future doctors from across Australia committed to voting YES in the upcoming referendum on an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice to Parliament.

Our role as doctors is to advocate for the health needs of our patients and their communities and help close systemic gaps that may prevent them from achieving optimal health outcomes.

As doctors, we acknowledge the unacceptable health inequality experienced by First Nations Australians which is rooted in the historical and ongoing trauma of colonisation.

We also acknowledge the structural racism that exists within our healthcare system, the role this plays in compounding health disparities, and the responsibility we hold for working with First Nations Peoples to end this injustice.

Equity in health and healthcare will not be achieved until First Nations Peoples have greater agency over the decisions, laws and policies that affect them. First Nations Peoples know the best ways to deliver genuine and practical improvements in health outcomes for their families and communities.

The Voice to Parliament represents a formal and practical channel through which First Nations Peoples can have a say and be heard. It is the result of advocacy from First Nations communities and leaders over many decades and has the support of more than 80% of First Nations Australians.

We are voting YES because a Voice to Parliament presents a tangible, once-in-a-generation opportunity to begin to heal, build trust, and unite to improve the health and wellbeing of First Nations Peoples.

*You are signing this in your personal capacity, not as a representative of your workplace/organisation. A note to this effect will be included in any future communications.