By Vijai Singhal

My heart soared when Julian Leeser quit the Shadow Ministry to stand with Indigenous Australians in achieving a constitutionally guaranteed First Nations Voice. As a Jew, Leeser probably feels empathy for the plight of Indigenous people, who have been unrecognised and excluded in their own country for far too long.

He has stood up for principle over petty politics. He stood up for what he believes in. I wish there were more in Parliament like him.

Leeser has long enjoyed close ties with the Australian-Indian community. I know that many Australian Indians – and migrants more broadly – will back him in his moral stance on the upcoming Voice referendum.

Many Australian Indians feel deep affinity with Indigenous peoples as we share many spiritual and cultural values with them. We want to see them recognised in the Constitution and better included in the country.

I migrated to Australia from India in 1974, with a master’s degree in information science and $100 in my pocket. I arrived on Australian shores to leverage the economic opportunities and create a new prosperous identity for myself. Like most first-generation migrants in Australia, I put my head down and worked hard.

I landed my first job in Coca-Cola Australia’s IT Division as a Systems Analyst and moved up from there through grit and perseverance to reap financial benefits. I built my version of the Australian-Indian Dream: I bought a house, provided for my daughters and, importantly, became a grandfather. I also continued to enjoy my culture and spirituality.  I helped establish the first Hindu Temple, Sri Mandir, in Western Sydney in 1977. In 1998, I joined the Hindu Council of Australia as its National Secretary and later became one of its Directors.

While I love Australia and the opportunity and freedom it has provided me and so many Indian Australians, I also know that the success and prosperity I have enjoyed was built off the back of Indigenous dispossession. Indigenous peoples have lost so much in Australian history, suffering discrimination, violence, and injustice. We need to make right these past wrongs.

In 1901, First Nations people were excluded from constitutional discussions in Australia’s founding legal document. In 2017, First Nations people, through the Uluru Statement from the Heart, asked to be included in the Constitution through a guaranteed Voice in their affairs. They asked Australians to walk with them towards a better future.

Multicultural Australians have an important role to play in this upcoming referendum. I call all Indian Australians to back Indigenous Australians to achieve the modest recognition they seek: a guaranteed Voice in their own affairs. The time has come for us to give back. To stand with our Indigenous countrymen.

Last year, the Hindu Council of Australia, along with eight other major faith groups, took an unprecedented stance by signing a Joint Resolution of Peak Religious Organisations in support of the Voice referendum. This demonstrated a growing community consensus across differences of belief, culture and tradition.

This year, the Hindu Council signed a joint open letter with those other faith organisations, calling on politicians across left and right to support the upcoming referendum. The Liberal and National parties have chosen to oppose the Voice. This is a deep shame. But brave and good-hearted Liberals, like Leeser among many others, are standing up for what’s right.

The time has come for all Australians of Indian heritage to stand in solidarity with Indigenous Australians. The success or failure of this referendum is up to each of us. We cannot be passive bystanders. Like Leeser, let’s commit to advocating YES and uniting the country.

Vijai Singhal  is a Member of Advisory Board of Hindu Council of Australia.