Netball Australia has become the latest sporting body to throw its support behind a “Yes” vote for the Indigenous Voice to Parliament.
Netball is now among the growing list of sporting codes across Australia to signal its support for the Voice, and it comes ahead of the Super Netball’s First Nations round, which is due to take place over the next two weeks.
“The Board of Netball Australia supports a First Nations Voice to Parliament,” a statement from Netball Australia said on Wednesday.
“The Board believes that altering the constitution to recognise the First Peoples of Australia by establishing an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice will benefit all Australians.”
The board said Netball Australia believes the referendum is an opportunity for netball to continue to “educate itself on the importance of First Nations culture and history”.
“Netball Australia has provided education resources for staff to learn about and understand the conversation regarding the Referendum to enshrine a First Nations Voice in the Australian Constitution,” it said.
The board also said that there were a variety of views within the sport, and it respected the views of all people in the netball community.
“The Board accepts there is a wide range of views within the community and supports the rights of its Member Organisations, staff and players to make an informed individual decision as to how they exercise their vote.”
Other sporting bodies in Australia to publicly support the Voice to Parliament include Cricket Australia, NRL, AFL, Tennis Australia, Football Australia, Rugby Australia and and the Australian Olympic Committee.