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From the Heart call for Indigenous voice to parliament in election ads via Big Red

From the Heart has launched the first ever election advertising campaign by an Indigenous-led cause in the leadup to the federal election, calling for an Indigenous Voice to Parliament with a series of ads created by Big Red, with media from Love Media.

The campaign, administered by Indigenous think tank the Cape York Institute, asks major political parties to deliver on their commitments to Indigenous constitutional recognition by holding a referendum in 2023.

 

The campaign TVCs feature a simple black background with the From the Heart logo and a URL leading to the campaign website. Midway through each add, text appears besides the logo, saying ‘a referendum for constitutional recognition of indigenous Australians’, followed by the text ‘in 2023’.

There are two versions of the TVC, one with a voiceover from Fiona White and the other with a voiceover from Ted Horton. Each has been made into 60- and 30-second iterations.

The campaign will rollout on free-to-air television, Foxtel and digital channels from May, and will run for the remainder of the Federal Election campaign.

From the Heart director Dean Parkin said: “Our ask of the major political parties is clear, practical and fair.

“We say: Put it to the people. For 15 years we have been talking about constitutional recognition. We have long running, bi-partisan commitments to a referendum. The only way we can achieve this is through an Indigenous Voice to Parliament that is included in the Constitution.”

“Ever since John Howard first raised the idea in 2007, political leaders have been talking about making this happen. It has been supported in principle by every prime minister since. There is nothing new about this commitment, it is just time to finally deliver.

“Now it is time to give the people of Australia their say in the matter, with a referendum in 2023 – a referendum we are confident will be successful and deliver an important moment of national unity that the country can rally around.”

Parkin noted both major parties have continued to show strong support for constitutional recognition in recent months.

The Morrison Government completed an in-depth consultation process to consider the design of a Voice to Parliament last year, a review which made special mention of how the public submissions made a strenuous case that a Voice should be included in the Constitution.

The Federal Opposition Leader Anthony Albanese has also repeatedly committed to delivering a referendum on a Voice to Parliament. In addition, the 2022-23 Federal Budget contains $160 million in its Contingency Reserve for funding a referendum.

From the Heart’s campaign drive is the first major advertising drive by an Indigenous-led cause in the lead-up to a federal election.

“Thanks to tireless work by many people over many years, all of the foundations are in place,” Parkin said. “Our advertising campaign will shine a light on the missing last step: a commitment to hold this referendum and deliver lasting, practical change for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.

“Australians know this is a fair go. It’s time to finally put this to the people.”

Credits:

Client: From the Heart
TVC: Big Red
Voiceover: Ted Horton
Media: Love Media
Research, strategy and digital: C|T Group

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