I have received some very negative feedback from my opinion piece in the 99th issue, which was pretty disappointing. I was accused of being ‘political’ when I see the referendum as a social justice issue. Not all Liberal MPs are in favour of voting ‘No’.
This is an edited version of an article by Anthony Galloway that was in the Sydney Morning Herald on 16th April, 2023:
The party room’s resolution (at a party room meeting on April 5, 2023) to formally oppose a constitutionally enshrined Voice has caused significant divisions within the Liberals: former Indigenous affairs minister Ken Wyatt resigned from the party and shadow attorney-general Julian Leeser stepped down from the frontbench.
Only two Liberal MPs, Leeser and Tasmanian MP Bridget Archer, have publicly declared they will support the Yes campaign.
However, a number of other MPs – including Andrew Bragg, Russell Broadbent, Jennie Ware, and Richard Colbeck – spoke against elements of the position.
Three frontbenchers – Simon Birmingham, Paul Fletcher and Marise Payne – spoke out in a shadow cabinet meeting against the party’s plan, favouring an option put forward by Leeser to allow all members to have a free say on the Voice until the parliamentary committee completed its work.
In the months since the Referendum was announced. Paul Kelly has gifted a song, Jimmy Barnes has lent his support and John Farnham has given permission for ‘You’re the Voice’ to be used in advertising for the ‘Yes’ campaign. Many prominent Australians have stepped forward as allies, and there will be a march in Adelaide on the 16th, joining with a weekend of marches throughout the country. I will be there.
This is what I wrote:
A few years ago, Kevin Rudd said ‘sorry’ on behalf of the Australian Government. There was no riot, no clamour to get to the nearest lawyers to start proceedings, the sky didn’t fall in. It was as if we all took a breath and a great weight was lifted. People looked at each other and smiled. There were tears and laughter and hugs. It was done.
Now we are being asked to allow First Nations people to have a voice. Just a voice. But how powerful for First Nations peoples to know that at last, the Government will listen.
There will be no avalanche of money being spent on initiatives that don’t work, that some person thousands of kilometres away thought would be a good idea. In fact, there is every possibility that by governments listening to First Nations peoples, money will be saved.
Outcomes for First Nations peoples are bad. Really bad. They haven’t improved at all in decades. In a country so advanced, we still have people dying from preventable diseases. Education outcomes are dismal. Employment options are limited. Just by born who you are or where you are, can severely limit whether you can earn a decent living. Incarceration rates for First Nations peoples are much higher than for non-indigenous peoples.
Our country has the oldest living culture in the world – over 65 thousand years. Nowhere in the world can claim that, but until we start listening and paying respect, we are not a complete nation.
My husband Don worked with Aboriginal peoples for the majority of his policing career – by choice. His policing district covered most of the north and west of South Australia, and he had the privilege of working with some amazing people. Humble, funny, smart people. So many times, we were amazed by the expertise and adaptability of people he worked with, their resilience and willingness to help, and their forgiveness when the system let them down.
I met Aunty Pat Anderson at WOMAD this year. What an amazing person. I had been waiting to have a quick word with her after the Planet Talk on The Voice, and even though there were a lot of people there and she was surrounded, she saw me waiting and indicated she would be there in a minute. I felt very privileged to be able to speak to her and she made me feel like I was listened to when I told her of my support for The Voice Referendum. I told her I printed a small newsletter, and that I would make sure that there would be information in it for the Yes campaign. This newsletter reaches a few hundred people on a good day, but I hope that those of you reading this will listen to those asking to be heard, and ignore those who wish to frighten us. Those who have told lies and obfuscated – because apparently unlike a normal election, in a referendum you are able to tell lies and not be penalised.
The last year has been such a uniting time. Much of the damaging and divisive rhetoric has gone, and I think most of us feel more optimistic that the big issues – like Climate Change – will now be treated seriously, and even though times are undoubtedly tough for many of us, they will get better. We just have to get through it.
What the Uluru Statement from the Heart asked – agreed upon by 250 First Nations leaders – was for Recognition, followed by Treaty, then Truth Telling. The referendum is the long overdue first step. It’s a Voice.
“When we have power over our destiny, our children will flourish.”
Uluru Statement from the Heart.