Why ‘woke’ Aussie Test captain Pat Cummins is getting a special briefing about the Indigenous Voice to parliament before he flies to England for the Ashes
- Referendum on a vote to set up an Indigenous Voice will take place this year
- Cricket Australia is expected to back the Yes campaign
- Only four Indigenous players have featured in Test cricket for Australia
Pat Cummins and Meg Lanning will receive a detailed briefing from Cricket Australia about the Indigenous Voice to Parliament before they set off to England for the Ashes this winter.
According to News Corp, Cricket Australia plans to formally announce its position on the Voice over the coming weeks.
Executives, however, are mindful of the delicate nature of the topic and want to consult with the players before publicly making a stand.
Cummins and Lanning, the men’s and women’s team captain, will be briefed by Cricket Australia on the matter and are expected to lead discussions with their respective teams.
Five years on since a representative body of Indigenous leaders issued the Uluru Statement from the Heart calling for a Voice to parliament, a referendum has been pencilled in for October.
Pat Cummins is expected to be briefed by Cricket Australia officials about the Indigenous Voice to Parliament vote before setting for the Ashes in England this winter
Australia women’s captain Meg Lanning will also be briefed by Cricket Australia over the issue
The Voice would give Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders the chance to provide advice on laws and policies that directly affect them by operating as an advisory body to the parliament.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has personally moved to secure the support of Australia’s biggest sporting bodies.
Along with Cricket Australia, the AFL, NRL, Rugby Australia, Netball Australia, Football Australia and Tennis Australia are all expected to back the Yes campaign.
‘I know from speaking to a number of NRL and AFL players, both past and present, that they will be active in putting their views in support of constitutional recognition,’ Albanese said last month.
‘They’ve all been very supportive of Indigenous recognition for a long period of time.
‘Even before then, we will have the Indigenous rounds in both of the sports which will be a celebration of Indigenous Australians and their contribution to those sports.
‘And I expect that not just them but Tennis Australia have been supportive. Cricket Australia, all of the sporting codes.’
In the recent past, Cricket Australia has not shied away from social issues. In 2014, it joined the AFL, NRL, Football Australia and Rugby Australia in signing a commitment to eliminate homophobia in Australian sports.
Two years later, the five bodies launched the Pride in Sport Index, a benchmark designed to assess the inclusion of LBGTI people in Australian sport.
Cricket Australia also supported the Yes campaign ahead of the vote on same-sex marriage in 2017, as did the AFL, NRL, Football Australia and Rugby Australia.
But in 140 years, only two men’s Test cricketers – Jason Gillespie and Scott Boland – and two women’s Test cricketers – Ashleigh Gardner and Faith Thomas – have been Aboriginal.
‘It’s huge. Australia have a rich history and it’s great that it’s starting to be reflected in our team,’ Cummins said ahead of Boland’s debut in the Boxing Day Test against England in 2021.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese (middle) has been a vocal supporter of the Yes campaign
Scott Boland became only the fourth Indigenous Australian to play Test cricket when he was handed in debut in the Boxing Day Test against England in December 2021
Ashleigh Gardner said earlier this year that as a proud Muruwari woman she wasn’t comfortable with playing on January 26
Earlier this year, Gardner slammed January 26 – the date the First Fleet arrived in Sydney – as a day celebrating ‘genocide, massacres and dispossession’ and noted playing on Australia Day did not sit well with her.
She received full support from Lanning, who said the team was keen to use their platforms to educate Australians on the issue.
‘Something we would like to do is acknowledge the sadness and grief that day brings for First Nations people,’ she said.
‘We’re going to try to use the opportunity we have to educate ourselves and try to create a better understanding of what it means and their culture.’