Organisers of the NAIDOC week march have criticised Maitland City Council after a motion was carried last month to adopt a neutral stance on The Voice referendum.
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Mindaribba Local Aboriginal Land Council CEO Tara Dever and chairperson Todd Heard called the move "backward".
"Practically they've banned discussions of The Voice in their premises which is not a very modern approach to democracy," Mr Heard said.
"Apolitical is actually having the ability to talk about yes, and to talk about no and be free from any worry about getting into trouble.
"It's not inclusive thinking, it's maintaining some of the old truths of this community that we are working to change - we are important and we are a big part of the community."
Despite light rain on Monday morning, about 300 people marched to celebrate NAIDOC week.
Holding banners and chanting, the march started at the Maitland Court House and ended at the Regional Art Gallery.
Ms Dever said the march is in its 20th year.
"We started this march to say, hey, we are here, you may not see us all the time, you may think we are gone, but we are not," she said,
"So that's why we started the march 20 years ago - we start at the court house, just to reflect on the laws of the land and how that has impacted us as first Australians.
"We just want to walk with people and that's what this has been about and there's a lot of non-Aboriginal people here today marching with us, which is fabulous."
The NAIDOC week theme for this year is 'For Our Elders', recognising leaders in communities across Australia.
"The logic is our Elders are our teachers, they hold our stories and they teach our children through oral history," Mr Heard said.
"And they are really important when it comes to our family networks and supporting our broader family.
"I think it's really thanking them and acknowledging them for their continued work."
NAIDOC stands for National Aboriginal and Islanders Day Observance Committee with its history tracing back to community efforts in the 1920s to bring greater awareness and recognition of First Nations people.
Events to celebrate, reflect and learn about the oldest continuous living culture on earth will be held from July 2 to 9, 2023.
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Ben Carr
Starting out as a reporter in Lightning Ridge in 2005, I returned to journalism in 2023 after 15 years spent in event production and technical services. Passionate about community news, contact me on ben.carr@austcommunitymedia.com.au or ph: 0484 524 000
Starting out as a reporter in Lightning Ridge in 2005, I returned to journalism in 2023 after 15 years spent in event production and technical services. Passionate about community news, contact me on ben.carr@austcommunitymedia.com.au or ph: 0484 524 000
