Organon marks National Sorry Day by adding its signature to support referendum on First Nations Voice

Change is needed to give Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people a say in the laws and policies that impact them. Australia has seen over two centuries of failed policies directed towards Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people – policies created without meaningful engagement from the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people who are directly impacted by them.

Organon has marked National Sorry Day (26 May) by adding its signature to support the Uluru Statement from the Heart, which calls for the establishment of a First Nations Voice in the Constitution and a Makarrata Commission on agreement-making and truth-telling between Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and governments.

Nirelle Tolstoshev, managing director of Organon in Australia, said “We launched Organon globally with a promise to listen to and act on women’s experiences to address the challenges in women’s health. The Uluru Statement from the Heart also calls for First Nations People’s voices to be heard, and we believe that action is needed to address the inequities which continue to be experienced by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Island peoples. 

“The Uluru Statement represents an invitation for all Australians to come together in a national dialogue that will help to positively shape our national identity, and by signing the Uluru Statement from the Heart, we are clearly signalling that First Nations voices matter and should be heard.”

Constitutional reform for First Nations has been a bi-partisan public policy commitment since the commitments of Prime Minister John Howard and Opposition Leader Kevin Rudd in 2007.

90% of submissions in response to the Interim Voice Report support a First Nations Voice to Parliament protected by the Constitution. Four years of polling since Uluru consistently shows the Voice to Parliament would succeed at referendum. This support is backed by consistent polling including Essential, the Australian Constitutional Values survey and the most recent Reconciliation Barometer. Following the Wyatt Interim report and the 2018 Joint Select Parliamentary Committee, there is enough information in the public domain on what a Voice may look like to move to a referendum.

Organon was established and listed on the New York Stock Exchange in June 2021. Tolstoshev added “One of the early conversations we had with our Founders in Australia was about reconciliation with First Nations people and developing a Reconciliation Action Plan, which we are currently working towards. In the meantime, we wanted to show our commitment by signing the Statement from the Heart on this important day.

“We encourage other pharmaceutical and healthcare companies across the country to join us in this important conversation.”

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