Quarterly Essay 90: Voice of Reason: On Recognition and Renewal

Davis presents the Voice to Parliament as an Australian solution to an Australian problem. For Indigenous people, it is a practical response to the torment of powerlessness. She highlights the failure of past policies, in areas from child protection to closing the gap, and the urgent need for change. She also brings out the creative and imaginative dimensions of the Voice. Fundamental to her account is the importance of truly listening. In explaining why the Voice is needed from the ground up, she evokes a new vision of Country and community.