Clr Bilal El-hayek Message

Dear resident,

Saying ‘yes’ is sometimes difficult, but the outcome can be momentous.
Three letters which can define a nation and send a very powerful message of reconciliation and recognition to the First Nations People of Australia.
Across our country, from the remote lands at the northernmost tip of Australia to our southern point, from the east to the west, the Voice to Parliament is a daily discussion, with media organisations and commentators fuelling much of the debate.
And at last night’s meeting, our Council made a definitive stance to support the ‘yes’ case – a testimony to the values we hold as an organisation.
I’m proud of our City’s rich aboriginal roots, dating back some 70,000 years, and I can happily say that we have come a long way towards reconciliation.
It was the former Bankstown Council in 2012 which established a Local Reconciliation Action Plan, the first Council to do so. We celebrate and participate in NAIDOC and Reconciliation Week, and we hold National Sorry Day ceremonies.
In 2019, we supported the Uluru Statement from the Heart, with the previous Mayor signing a commitment to support the statement.
Our Council also has in place an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Advisory Committee, you could say our own “Voice”, and a First Nations Youth Group, set up
for the younger generation to connect with their culture. We have also just established a working group to develop an Innovate Reconciliation Action Plan.
We must continue moving forward and that is why we are committing our Council to the ‘yes’ case. And on a personal note, I will follow in the footsteps of other mayors and sign the commitment to support the Uluru Statement from the Heart.
So, let’s ensure our voice is heard by voting in the upcoming referendum.

Yours sincerely,
Clr Bilal El-Hayek
MAYOR