The Voice is coming and your business needs to take a stance

May 31, 2023

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With the government’s information campaign on the Voice to Parliament referendum in full swing, Australian businesses and brands are confronted with a critical decision: whether to lend their support or stay on the sidelines.

This referendum holds immense significance for Australia as we confront our history and strive for a more equitable and inclusive future. While taking a stance carries certain risks, remaining neutral also poses its own dangers, both internally and externally.

So if you’re struggling to know which direction to turn, here are five key considerations for your business or brand as we head towards Australia’s first referendum in 23 years.

Who are you and what do you stand for?

Before your brand or business can take an authentic stance on the Voice, you must first consider what your business already stands for. In order to remain consistent and authentic, your past actions must align with your actions on the Voice.

What’s the makeup of your employee and consumer base? What is your purpose? Do you already have a Reconciliation Action Plan in place? What’s your relationship with different groups and stakeholders? All of these elements will help give you a clear picture of who you are as a business and help guide your actions and approach.

It’s also important to identify your ‘why’: if you’re simply taking a stance for a ‘woke-washing’ marketing opportunity or a sales-boosting tactic, then it’s not coming from the right place (and consumers will smell the inauthenticity a mile away).

We can already see that organisations from many sectors are coming out to support the Voice, from financial services providers to law firms, fast-moving consumer goods brand, and energy and resources firms.

These organisations — including National Australia Bank, ANZ, BHP, Rio Tinto, Wesfarmers, Woolworths and Coles — represent some of the largest employers in the country. They have substantial influence and likely a vested interest in that many of their employees, customers and the communities they work within are Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders.

This is just the start. As the campaign gains momentum, we expect to see many more organisations come out with a position on this.

Prioritise psychological safety

Whatever route you choose to go down, brands and businesses must prioritise the psychological safety of their workforce above all else. It’s crucial to carefully consider the potential effects the Voice referendum might have on employees and their sense of psychological safety.

Freedom of speech isn’t freedom of vitriol, and encouraging open dialogue doesn’t give your employees or brand a right to not be respectful of others. Creating an environment that allows for open and respectful conversations is key.

Provide the tools to learn

Businesses have a responsibility to support their employees in accessing information and engaging in meaningful conversations around the Voice referendum.

In a world where misinformation is rife, encouraging high-quality research and critical thinking among employees can help them develop informed opinions. Providing employees with reliable, official resources can assist them along this journey and avoid the spread of misinformation.

Listen to a variety of opinions, including those from First Nations individuals who may have different perspectives. This isn’t about putting the burden of education onto Indigenous people but seeking out a range of reputable sources of content created by or contributed to by Indigenous people.

Don’t assume knowledge

Remember that everyone is coming from a different knowledge base on Indigenous issues, and your team will have wildly varied levels of understanding. If they have no knowledge of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander history, then it’s going to be challenging for them to grasp the nuances of the Voice debate.

Australia is a multicultural society, with people from all over the world working in our organisations. Depending on where they grew up, their base level understanding of Indigenous history and culture is going to be very different compared to someone who’s lived here their whole lives, or from someone with connections to Indigenous people and significantly from someone who is Indigenous themselves.

Rather than assuming where people are at, it can be helpful to start at a foundational level with the basics of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander experience and history.

Take a position

Not taking a stand on the Voice is both a business risk and a moral risk. You might feel tempted to sit on the fence, but in most cases, avoiding taking a stance will do your business or brand more harm than good.

Qantas’ support of marriage equality is a great example of a brand taking a consistent and authentic stance on an issue. Back in 2017, then-CEO Alan Joyce personally donated $1 million to the ‘yes’ campaign, with the Qantas brand remaining dedicated to the cause throughout the campaign. The airline’s commitment was steadfast and unwavering, earning strong loyalty from the airline’s LBGTQI staff and customers.

As the Voice referendum takes centre stage in Australia, businesses and brands must navigate this complex landscape with care and consideration. By offering resources, fostering dialogue, and aligning actions with values, businesses have an essential role to play in shaping public discourse and contributing to a more inclusive society. Now is not the time to stay silent.

Nat Cagilaba is the managing director of We Are Unity.