For most people these are just words but for First Nations people, they symbolise hope for a better and more inclusive future, with more involvement in the decisions that directly affect their lives.
Every 26th of January Australia marks the beginning of British colonisation in 1788.
Over time it's been called many things - “Anniversary Day”, “First Landing Day” or “Foundation Day” - and in 1994 was renamed again to “Australia Day”.
But it's a controversial name - many Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples since 1938 have seen January 26th as a ‘Day of Mourning’, and in recent times many have referred to the day as ‘Invasion Day’ or ‘Survival Day’.
Some multicultural communities call it simply “January 26”.
Behind the different names is the concept of Sovereignty: the inherent jurisdiction of Indigenous Australians over their lands and peoples that existed prior to European arrival and was never ceded.
However amongst Indigenous groups, there are different views about how Sovereignty should be recognised.
This is the starting point of Australia’s public debate about “Recognition”, “Treaty”, “Voice”, and “Truth”.
Making constitutional change to recognise Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people is no simple matter.
The process as it stands in 2020 has been underpinned by recommendations from decades of expert panels, Senate inquiries, constitutional commissions and referendum councils.
The proposal currently at the forefront of these discussions came from Australia's Red Centre on Anangu [[AH-nuh-noo]] country, back in 2017.
The Uluru Statement from the Heart is the most well-known model to be put forward.
Dean Parkin is Director of 'From the Heart,' a public awareness campaign aimed at generating more support for the Uluru Statement in general, and in particular for an Aboriginal advisory body enshrined in the constitution.
Also being debated is the idea of “Treaty”: a formal agreement between the government and Indigenous peoples that recognises the existence of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander nations prior to British arrival.
For many, Treaty - whether national, regional or state-based - should be the first goal ahead of a Voice to parliament.
It would imply recognition of Sovereignty and the beginning of reconciliation and truth-telling, as New Zealand, the United States and Canada have done with their First Nations peoples.
A group of First Nations people who walked out on the Uluru summit back in 2017 included Victorian delegate and Gunnai [[goon-ay]] and Gunditjmara [[goon-ditch-mara]] woman, Lidia Thorpe.
Ms Thorpe is the new Greens senator for Victoria and has vowed to advocate for Treaty as the best way forward for Indigenous recognition.
When it comes to sovereignty, grass-roots activism has long been the driving power behind improving the lives of Aboriginal people.
One group is Warriors of the Aboriginal Resistance, or WAR [[wor]].
Gamilaraay, Kooma and Muruwari man Boe Spearim is part of the coalition which aims to represent "young Aboriginal people committed to the cause of decolonisation and Aboriginal nationalism.”
‘Sovereignty’ is central to Mr Spearim's idea of significant recognition, meaning all Aboriginal people can have their say.
WAR’s official stance is to not engage with colonial structures, but Mr Spearim says the essence of self-determination is to allow Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples to make their own decisions about that.
There’s also a debate around what success looks like in terms of recognition.
Activist, lawyer and chair of the Aboriginal Land Council of Tasmania, Palawa man Michael Mansell believes Aboriginal peoples have a choice to make between symbolic and meaningful recognition.
The federal government has put together three advisory bodies to co-design a ‘Voice’ for Aboriginal people, working at national, regional and local levels.
Kungarakan and Iwaidja [[E-wayd-ja]] man, Professor Tom Calma is the co-chair of the federal government’s Voice Co-Design Senior Advisory Group.
He explains their role is to present a number of different models to the federal government, who will then determine what shape a
