This week, Karen Paterson & Jyi Lawnton kick off a special *bonus* series of Let’s Talk on Triple A Murri Country: Let’s Talk…Referendum. This 12-part series digs deep into the political challenges, possibilities, limitations, and opportunities that are posed by the upcoming referendum on an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice to Parliament. From 6pm each Wednesday, we’re offering Through in-depth conversations with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander organisers, activists, lawyers, policy-makers, academics, and political analysts, we set out to make sense of the current debates around the Voice to Parliament. 

In this opening episode, Jyi and Karen set the scene for the series as a whole, reflecting on the role of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community-controlled media in broadening the debates around the referendum beyond a simple “yes” or “no”. They talk through the guiding principles of the series, and the responsibility of Blak media in creating spaces for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people around the country to talk seriously, strategically, and thoughtfully about the choices they’re making, and the  focusing instead on understanding how different people are strategising, theorising, and organising around the proposed referendum.