Opinion
ACEM adding its voice to the Voice hits the wrong note
First published: 12 July 2023
The Australasian College for Emergency Medicine, the owner of this journal, supports the Voice to Parliament. Read the position statement here: https://acem.org.au/getmedia/a47ac341-3360-4951-82cd-91daba013ac7/Position-Statement-ACEM-Supports-the-Voice-to-Parliament. †
This statement was added on 19 July 2023, after first online publication.
Abstract
ACEM has endorsed the proposal for an Aboriginal Voice to Parliament in Australia as a means of delivering its objectives to provide culturally safe care in EDs and to improve health outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. Unfortunately the Voice proposal has become a politically conentious issue. There is currently insufficient detail about how the Voice would operate and whether it will achieve the outcomes its proponents intend. This article argues that the claims in the ACEM statement are speculative rather than based on facts. In addition, by taking a position on this complex and controversial political matter ACEM is operating beyond its remit and risks distracting attention from its core mission.
