The Hunter's peak union body has announced its official position in support of a 'yes' vote to introducing a First Nations Voice to Australia's federal parliament.
In a motion passed during an executive meeting on Wednesday night, Hunter Workers committed to "advocating for, and walking alongside our First Nations people" and educating union members on the Uluru Statement and "the importance of voting yes in the referendum".
"For far too long, governments have excluded First Nations Australians from the process on policies that will affect them," Hunter Workers secretary Leigh Sheers said.
"We continue to see the consequences of this and the impact across our communities. Discrimination, wage theft, exploitation, and disadvantage. We now have an opportunity to affect real change. Enough is enough.
"It's the absolute bare minimum to expect our first Australians' voices are heard through a genuine process of consultation with government on laws that will directly affect them."
The Albanese government has committed to holding a referendum on the question of introducing a First Nations Voice to parliament.
A date has not been announced, but some reports have speculated it could take place as soon as mid-2023.
Australian Council of Trade Unions Indigenous officer Lara Watson said more than 200 years of failed government policy had to end.
"The referendum on a First Nations Voice is an historic opportunity for this country to take a step towards reconciliation which we cannot afford to miss.
"The First Nations Voice will give a permanent line of communication for Indigenous peoples to the Australian government and allow us to have a say on issues that affect us before laws are drafted.
"We have seen two centuries of failed policy directed towards Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples by governments which had little or no engagement with our communities."
