THE Murray River is set to play a crucial role in shaping the area for the federal government's Indigenous Voice.
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The proposed mechanism for First Nations to advise and contribute at national and regional levels was discussed in Wodonga on Friday at a workshop hosted by Indi MP Helen Haines.
The co-chair of the Senior Advisory Group for an Indigenous Voice, Marcia Langton, was the special guest for the event which drew a COVID-capacity crowd of 95.
The Indigenous Voice will consist of a national body and regional governance structures.
Professor Langton said a key talking point yesterday was how such an area would be configured on the Border.
"What would a region look like here in this area where you have cross border issues all the time?" Professor Langton asked rhetorically.
"We want people to tell us what they think would work best...it's a question to be answered and we have a survey online at voice.niaa.gov.au and you can also put in a submission before the 31st of March.
"If you think that you need a cross border region here please tell us so."
Between 25 and 35 regions are expected to be drawn up across Australia.
Professor Langton said the Indigenous Voice would be very different to the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Commission which oversaw funding and programs.
"One big difference...is that we've strongly recommended an ethics council," she said.
"(It would) ensure that each candidate is a fit and proper person to represent their regions or to represent their regions on the national body."
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Dr Haines is a member of a cross parliamentary working group of MPs involved in the implementation of the Voice.
Those who attended the workshop she convened included Aboriginal elders, Indigenous health service representatives and businesses who have reconciliation action plans.
It is hoped legislation for the Indigenous Voice will pass through parliament before the next federal election.
Professor Langton was unwilling to give an opinion on whether Indigenous flags should be flown at Albury's war memorial.
"It's not place my place to say (what should happen), I don't live here but I do recommend that people talk (to), and there are hundreds of them, Aboriginal men and women who are serving now and who have served and I'm sure there are some around here," she said.
Professor Langton noted the Australian Defence Force in recent decades had done "an extraordinary job in being inclusive and respectful towards the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander men and women who served".
The Albury RSL has unanimously rejected flying Indigenous flags at Monument Hill and this week a Wiradjuri man appealed to Albury councillors for change at the memorial.
Professor Langton was also on the Border with her University of Melbourne colleague Kristen Smith, a senior research fellow, to discuss their work on Indigenous domestic violence.
With a particular focus on Albury-Wodonga and Mildura they found support service gaps which made Indigenous women at greater risk of violence than their metropolitan counterparts.
Dr Smith said they were recommending legislative changes at a federal and state level and the shortfalls were allowing the system to be "weaponised".
She said despite restraining orders being reciprocal across state borders since 2018 there were problems with data access at the police level which was impeding their success.
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