FIA’s Statement on The Voice

Fundraising Institute Australia is the national peak body for professional fundraising. Established over 50 years ago, FIA’s mission is to advance best-practice fundraising and to promote and protect the fundraising sector of behalf of its members.

A referendum to enshrine a Voice for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples in the Constitution will be put to the Australian people later this year.

The referendum will ask Australians to determine whether Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples are able to provide advice to the Parliament on policies and projects that impact their lives.

While FIA is not able to publicly advocate for political issues including the upcoming referendum, the FIA Board encourages members and those who work across the fundraising sector to take time to learn and understand all the issues related to the referendum so they can make their own informed decision at the referendum later this year. FIA are not able to advise members or others on how they should vote in the upcoming referendum, in keeping with our Constitution and acknowledge it will be up to individual Australians who vote in the referendum; we respect their right to vote as they see fit

FIA are taking conscious and active steps to embrace diversity, equity and inclusion through working groups and through our strategic plan for 2022-2024 which includes initiatives to develop our first Reconciliation Action Plan. FIA will continue to listen to and engage with First Nations members and the broader sector in the pursuit of alignment to our statements of intent and policies around diversity, equity and inclusion.

Questions and comments regarding this statement can be made through members@fia.org.au.