Uphold & Recognise is a non-profit organisation that promotes discussion of how we can recognise Indigenous Australians without disturbing the way that the Constitution operates. The Uluru Statement from the Heart and the Referendum Council’s final report call for Indigenous Australians to be empowered to take responsibility for their own affairs through, among other things, a first nations voice to Parliament. Uphold & Recognise supports these calls.
Uphold & Recognise is represented on the Government's Referendum Working Group by Sean Gordon and Ken Wyatt, and is represented on the Government’s Constitutional Expert Group by Greg Craven.
Uphold & Recognise has formed an alliance with Liberals for Yes to campaign for a successful Yes vote in this year’s referendum on constitutional recognition through a Voice to Parliament.
Our Board
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Campaign Coordinator: Sascha Meldrum
Our History
Uphold & Recognise was founded in 2015 by Damien Freeman, a lawyer at the PM Glynn Institute at the Australian Catholic University, and Julian Leeser, who is now the federal member for Berowra. It was founded on two principles. The first is that the Australian Constitution underpins our democratic values and shared way of life, and that this is worth upholding. The second principle is that Indigenous Australians ought to be fairly recognised, on their terms. It is imperative, therefore, that any constitutional reforms both uphold the Constitution and recognise Indigenous peoples.
Uphold and Recognise aims to promote and inform the policy debate through our series of papers, public submissions, public events, and media articles.
Uphold & Recognise is a non-profit organisation. It has previously entered into strategic partnerships with the Australian Catholic University’s PM Glynn Institute and Reconciliation Australia as well as corporate partners, who currently include Afterpay and the Commonwealth Bank.