Djirra chief executive Antoinette Braybrook and her brother Shaun Braybrook were out conducting pre-polling in Cobblebank in the lead up to Saturday’s Voice referendum.
Shaun and Antoinette, together with their younger brother Ryan Braybrook, are long standing residents of Melton.
Shaun and Antoinette both work with the Indigenous community. Their work has a strong focus on human rights spanning the justice and family violence sectors.
Ms Braybrook said her family had been in Melton for 50 years.
“It hasn’t been an easy journey, we have experienced racism, but along the way we have forged lifelong friendships,” she said.
“Over the past few weeks I have had some really interesting and sometimes uncomfortable conversations with people that I know about this referendum. But I have gained a great sense of hope from these conversations knowing that people understand the importance of us being recognised as the First Peoples and being heard and having a say in the policies that impact on our lives.
“The Uluru Statement from the Heart, which brought us to this moment, is an invitation from Aboriginal people to others in this country to walk with us together for real solutions.”
During Djirra’s referendum information sessions, the main concern from people leaning towards voting “no” was the concern that a Voice could “divide the nation”.
Djirra advocates informed people that there already is a divide when it comes to Aboriginal life expectancy, which is 10 years less than other Australians, Aboriginal people are the most incarcerated people in the world and are more likely to die in custody than other Australians, and Aboriginal children are still being removed from families at “alarming rates”, and Djirra believes a Voice could help address these issues.
Mr Braybrook said he played football for Melton South Football Club and the Darley Devils and was proud to play for his community and form lifelong friendships.
“People always knew what I stood for on the field. I really hope my Melton mates know how important this referendum is to me and the Aboriginal community,” he said.
