Reflection on the 1967 Referendum and the Commissioner’s Multiculturalism position paper

ECCV Annual General Meeting 27 November 2007

Special Guest Speaker - Tom Calma

On 27 November, National Race Discrimination Commissioner and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Justice Commissioner, Tom Calma, delivered the following speech to the Annual General Meeting of the Ethnic Communities’ Council of Victoria. Commissioner Calma spoke about the continuing struggle , some 40 years after the 1967 Referendum, to improve the rights and living conditions of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples . He also spoke about the future of multiculturalism and the need for a policy framework that ensures that the rights of people from racially and culturally diverse backgrounds are upheld

Good evening distinguished guest, ladies and gentleman. Friends, I would like to begin by acknowledging the traditional owners of the land on which we meet today, the Wurundjeri people of the Kulin Nations.

Can I also thank, Chairperson Phong Nguyen and the Ethnic Communities’ Council of Victoria for inviting me to speak at your AGM. And I acknowledge the presence of Ms Voula Messimeri the Chairperson of Federation of Ethnic Communities’ Council of Australia. It is a privilege and an honour to be speaking with you this evening on issues close to my heart – Indigenous affairs and multiculturalism.

Download the full speech (42 KB)