Key Points
- Australians will vote in a referendum on an enshrining an Indigenous Voice to Parliament.
- AFL and Rugby Australia have announced they are supporting the Yes campaign.
- Several AFL clubs had already announced their support.
The campaign to enshrine an Indigenous Voice to Parliament has gained more support, with the AFL and Rugby Australia both announcing public support for the Yes vote.
The AFL issued a statement on social media on Thursday saying it "proudly supports the recognition of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in the Australian Constitution through the Voice to Parliament".
It comes as Rugby Australia announced its support through a full-page ad in the Sydney Morning Herald newspaper on Thursday offering support.
“The Voice is not about division. It’s about union,” Rugby Australia's statement was titled.
Which sports organisations have said they back a Voice to Parliament?
The high-profile codes have followed the lead of the NRL, Football Australia, the Australian Olympic Committee and Tennis Australia.
Janine Coombs, Wotjoboluk woman and Uluru Dialogue representative, said: "While the outcome of this referendum is for the Australian public to decide, the support from the AFL and so many individual football clubs is a powerful sign Australia is ready to answer the call of the Uluru Statement and make the First Nations Voice a reality."
The government is set to finalise the wording of the proposed constitutional change by the end of June.
The campaigns for and against the Voice meanwhile are ratcheting up their operations ahead of a referendum sometime between October and December.
The AFL said it had taken a Yes stance after many discussions and consultations with clubs, staff, players and its own Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander advisory council.
"Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander players have long made a stellar contribution on the footy field," the statement said.
"Their off-field contributions are equally valued for the impact they have made on our game and our community."
The organisation has aligned with clubs including Geelong, Richmond, Essendon, Collingwood and West Coast in publicly supporting the Voice to Parliament.
Rugby Australia said the provision for an Indigenous Voice to Parliament in the Constitution "is long overdue".
“The bottom line is that our Constitution still doesn’t recognise the First Peoples of Australia or give them the voice they deserve,” the organisation's statement reads.
“The playing field could still be more level. If we’re ever going to achieve true union as a nation, we must take every opportunity we have to close the gap which still separates so many of us."
With additional reporting by AAP.
