Parliamentary Convention: Home

The Victorian Students’ Parliamentary Program (VSPP) consists of a series of student conventions, which provide students with opportunities to learn about Australia's constitution and systems of government. Students learn through participation in informed, parliamentary style debates on a range of topics affecting Australia's democracy. Schools from all sectors can opt-into the program to support the teaching of civics and citizenship education in their school.

The Australian Electoral Commission is the independent federal agency in charge of organising, conducting and supervising federal Australian elections, by-elections and referendums.

We respectfully acknowledge the Wurundjeri people of the Kulin Nation, the Traditional Owners of the land on which our school is built and where we learn. We pay our respect to their Elders past, present and emerging and extend that respect to all First Nation peoples in our school community.

source:  ECAJ supports the Uluru Statement from the Heart

The 2023 Voice Referendum is the culmination of many years of discussions, reports and committees.

2000 The Council for Aboriginal Reconciliation delivers its Australian Declaration towards Reconciliation and the Roadmap for Reconciliation.

2007 Prime Minister John Howard announces the government’s intention to hold a referendum to symbolically recognise Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples in a new preamble to the Constitution.

2008 Prime Minister Kevin Rudd presents the Apology to the Stolen Generations.

2008 Prime Minister is presented with a Statement of Intent from Yolngu and Bininj Leaders, who express their desire for constitutional protection for traditional land and cultural rights.

2010 Prime Minister Julia Gillard establishes the Expert Panel on the Recognition of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples in the Constitution.

2012  Expert Panel hands down its report and finds strong public support for constitutional recognition.

2013 Gillard government, with support from the Opposition, passes the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples Recognition Act 2013.

2014 Parliament forms a joint select parliamentary committee, chaired by Senators Ken Wyatt and Nova Peris, to advance the work of the Expert Panel.

2015 Indigenous Leaders meet with Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull and Opposition Leader Bill Shorten at Kirribilli House and issue the Kirribilli Statement.

2016 - 2017 Referendum Council runs 13 First Nations Regional Dialogues to discuss options for constitutional reform, and to ensure that Aboriginal decision-making is at the heart of the reform process.

2017 Referendum Council holds a National First Nations Constitutional Convention at Uluru to ratify the decision making of the Regional Dialogues. The Convention delegates draft and overwhelmingly endorse the Uluru Statement from the Heart, The Referendum Council hands down its final report, which endorses the Uluru Statement from the Heart and its call for Voice, Treaty and Truth.

2018 Joint Select Committee of Parliament Final Report, it finds the Voice is the only viable recognition proposal and recommends that the government ‘initiate a process of co-design [of the Voice] with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples’.

2019 Minister for Indigenous Australians, Ken Wyatt, announces a ‘co-design’ process to determine the structure and functions of the Voice. 2021 The interim report on the Indigenous Voice Proposal is released.

2022 The Labor Leader Albanese reconfirms his commitment to implement the Uluru Statement in full during his victory speech upon the Australian Labor Party defeating the Liberal National Party in the May federal election.