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Yes'23


Today, I made the trek to the Australian Consular office in Toronto to cast my vote in the upcoming Australian Referendum to update the Australian Constitution to recognise the First Peoples of Australia by establishing an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice.

For me, this is a no-brainer. How one of the oldest ontinuous civilizations in the world is not officially recognised in the constitution by those who colonised is baffling, to be honest. As you well know, I recently became a Canadian citizen and had to recite the Canadian oath of citizenship, and affirmed that I would faithfully observe "The Laws of Canada, including the Constitution which recognizes and affirms The Aboriginal and treaty rights of First Nations, Inuit and Metis peoples". There is no such references in the Australian Constitution, so it's time to change!

As a first and second generation immigrant, I know how it can feel to be "othered" for nothing you can control. And of couse as a half-white woman, obviously my struggles are nothing compared to those of Indigenous peoples, but I feel it is my duty to be an ally and encourage society to evolve. 

So today, I put wore an outfit featuring designs from some very talented Indigenous artists, and voted yes! Yes to establish a Voice to the Australian parliament for Indigenous Australians. Yes to working on a better future for everyone. And yes, every country has work to do on reconciliation - Canada is far from perfect as well, but together we can make a difference.

And as this blog is a way for me to tie together my love of style and how it can affect my mental health, I looked up a few stats. Indigenous Australians are disproportionally affected by Mental Illness - of which addiction is a huge part of, as well as lacking access to the help they need to help them manage. You can read more here. 



CHOOSE LOVE, VOTE YES!

Dress and bow: Lucy in Paradise with fabric from Mahalia Mabo
Brooch: Melanie Hava for Erstwilder, from Retroglam
Earrings: Girlfetti's Harmony Day Collection


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