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Hardie Grant Explore is honoured to announce plans to publish The Voice to Parliament Handbook: All the Detail You Need by Indigenous leader Thomas Mayo (previously Mayor) and acclaimed journalist Kerry O’Brien in the first half of 2023.
The Voice to Parliament Handbook will be a clear and simple guide for the millions of Australians who have expressed support for the Uluru Statement from the Heart, but who want to better understand what a Voice to Parliament actually means. And in the face of calls for more ‘detail’, the book will cover all relevant discussions, including the history of struggle for an effective Voice, what is a referendum, what is the Uluru Statement and other frequently asked questions.
Media reports indicate that many Australians are seeking more information come the day of the referendum in the second half of 2023, so this book will play an important role in offering that comfort for readers. It will be a short book for RRP $16.99, making it accessible to anyone who wants to better understand the referendum question or is looking for responses in their kitchen table conversations.
Australia’s favourite cartoonist Cathy Wilcox will be supplying cartoons for each chapter opener, and the design and infographics will be created by Gulumerridjin (Larrakia), Wardaman and KarraJarri Saltwater woman Jenna Lee.
The authors and artists for this book represent both Indigenous and non-Indigenous perspectives. The referendum has the potential to be a unifying moment for the nation, and that’s the idea being represented through the words and visual elements of this book.
In Thomas’s words, ‘The referendum will be a rare opportunity for Australians to improve our nation’s standing in the world, and vastly improve the lives of Indigenous peoples, with a single act of reconciliation.
‘Kerry and I have written this book to help people understand exactly why they should vote ‘Yes’. I have travelled this vast continent for more than six years now, speaking with many thousands of Australians, and from listening to their questions I believe this book provides all the answers people seek. They need these answers because the greatest enemy of progress is confusion and misinformation. I believe our collective desire to become a better nation can carry this referendum through to success. I very much hope we don’t waste this moment.’
Kerry says, ‘I have been reporting on Indigenous issues for more than half a century and, to me, the case for enshrining an Indigenous Voice to Parliament in the Constitution is undeniable. I believe most Australians want to support the referendum for all the right reasons. I am appalled by the efforts of some to dishonestly muddy the waters to defeat the referendum without concern for the damage it will do.
‘This is such a simple proposition for the people of Australia to endorse, and let the Parliament decide how it will work. What a powerful and uplifting expression of our democracy. That is why Thomas and I have written an easy-to-follow handbook based on the facts and on reasoned argument to help dispel confusion around a vital moment in our history in which we all have a stake.’
Hardie Grant Publishing CEO Sandy Grant says, ‘Hardie Grant is committed to support the upcoming referendum to recognise a Voice to Parliament for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders in the Constitution. Publishing The Voice to Parliament Handbook by Thomas Mayo and Kerry O’Brien will contribute to understanding and supporting the debate. We are proud to be bringing together Thomas, a leading advocate for the Uluru Statement from the Heart and the author of five books for Hardie Grant, and Kerry, one of the great Australian broadcasters, to make the case and answer questions.’
The Voice to Parliament Handbook will be published in paperback and eBook in the coming months.
Publication Details:
Title: The Voice to Parliament Handbook Sub-title: All the detail you need Author: Thomas Mayo and Kerry O’Brien Imprint: Hardie Grant Explore Publication Date: TBC
ISBN: 9781741178869
Format: Paperback, eBook
RRP: $16.99
Rights: World (print, eBook and audio)
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