The First Nations referendum in Australia has highlighted how philanthropy increasingly acknowledges that engaging with advocacy is vital to achieving truly meaningful social change. Even if at first you don’t succeed…

On 14 October 2023, Australians voted in a referendum on whether to change the constitution to recognise the First Peoples of Australia by establishing an advisory body called the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice. The ‘Yes’ campaign advocating for this change was supported by a large coalition of Australian philanthropic foundations, among them Paul Ramsay Foundation (PRF) but the referendum was defeated. Why did PRF support – and continues to support – this important social change?

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Well, you know those moments when you can’t imagine exactly what the future will look like, but you can’t imagine living with the present situation? Those are the moments when we need to be courageous, look beyond fear and act for a better future.