So, the Voice

[Ozgirl75]

I’m trying to follow it from the U.K. where I’m living this year and it seems massively political and divisive, is that what it’s like over there or is that just being started by the media?

Intergenerational trauma is a huge factor. Aboriginal people are only one or two generations away from the Stolen Generations. The damage wrought by removal of babies and children continues to echo.

I am undecided which way to vote; need to do more research; veering towards yes- but not sure.

Sometimes I wish the government would just do it (as with Lockdown) and not do a referendum.

To enshrine the Voice in the Constitution, there has to be a referendum. It is the only way the Constitution can be changed. The government could legislate a Voice (and the Voice will be set up by legislation) but if it's not enshrined in the Constitution, it could be abolished at the whim of a future government.

October 14th. If you don't know how to vote, please have a look at some of the resources out there. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/aug/03/australias-indigenous-voice-to-parliament-referendum-explained-in-30-seconds

It is a voice, an opinion, and recognising that they matter. So when the next mining gigantic project destroys more of their culture, they can't hide and say oops, didn't know, didn't mean to.
And when discussing raising criminal age (10!!!!!!!!!!!!) and not locking kids in adult custody, they might have many things to say.
It is about listening.
The voice is what it says a voice in parliament and how it operates will be decided by parliament , but it is about recognition that they need to be heard, opening the path to more participation.
There is a nice debate going now on Sydney AM 702. Turn on the radio or open the ABC app.

Just the lies and manipulation of the NO side, should be enough to opt for the YES. There has always been the option of a tick on a referendum. It was there when we voted for same sex marriage , but they present it as a vote theft . BS. They are just creating confusion.

Paul Kelly's words very powerful. https://twitter.com/djt1940/status/1696285800479260888?t=ra4CL2VSYbxpwMJXsY0QVA&s=19

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=GLPXxPeYZFc

https://amp.smh.com.au/national/the-voice-as-proposed-is-flawed-and-insulting-to-first-nations-20230418-p5d1g3.html

Lots more of this from Indigenous groups, on both sides, FOR and AGAINST. The NT which has the highest proportion of Indigenous per population (as in proportion versus other States), supposedly have more No than Yes amongst its Indigenous according to polls. Again, I don’t want to be part of the problem enforcing something not broadly agreed between Indigenous groups. I’m waiting to see where this aspect goes and hopefully there may be some direction before the referendum, but it’s not looking likely. If not I won’t vote so I’m not enforcing either Yes or No vote on them. I want something they will all be in broad agreement with, and if this means going back to the drawing board and coming up with something different that’s more palatable all round then happy for that.

The ABC had some interviews with people in the street in Adelaide last night - a couple were voting yes, a couple no, and others said they weren't interested or they knew nothing about it. It was depressing!

I've come across such awful conspiracy theories about the Voice that I'm definitely voting yes. Once it's enshrined in the constitution then the details can be sorted out.
I cannot see what a No vote will achieve.
I think we need to start somewhere.

It doesn’t surprise me. I’ve lived in Sydney and also in Adelaide and I was absolutely taken aback by some of the attitudes in Adelaide towards anyone non white and women. This was 14 years ago so things may have changed but after living in London and being in Sydney for a year, I couldn’t believe people referring to “abbos” and “those fucking abbos” by otherwise totally normal people.

Polls consistently show over 80% support among First Nations people.

At its heart, this is about giving Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people a chance to share their perspectives and priorities on government policy. Policy informed in this way is bound to lead to better outcomes – and better outcomes are sorely needed. No one disputes that.

Justice will only be served if the voice is entrenched in the constitution.

Entrenching the rights of a historically marginalised group isn’t about granting “extra” rights; it’s about ensuring that all are allowed into the room. Australia’s First Nations people have seldom been permitted entry, let alone a place at the table. It cannot be “racist” to remedy that.

The constitution should embody the values and principles of the society it represents. If Australia’s constitution continues to overlook the rights and concerns of its First Nations people, it continues a racist legacy of exclusion.
**
Opinion of Favid Harper . Former Judge of the Supreme Court of Victoria.

The Voice is a seat at the table. The Voice is about our kids having a better opportunity. The Voice is for a better future for all Australians. The Voice is about representation. And the Voice is about our recognition.” — Sally Scales

Pitjantjatjara woman from the APY lands — which is the Anangu Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara lands. It’s in the northwest corner of South Australia. Sally Scales is part of The Uluru Statement Dialogue Leadership team — working with Professor Megan Davis and Pat Anderson.

Love this video of the YES campaign.

There was a poster on Reddit with 9 faces of those campaigning for the NO, and it has Paulin Hanson, Peter Dutton (Remember that poor Biloela Family?), Tony Abbott, and a few billionaires that back the far right Advance lobby group (climate change is an hoax campaign) who play dirty during election campaign, and of course the titans of mining.

I already mentioned above that the mere fact that Scott Morrison is in favour of NO is a very strong argument to vote YES. Remember when he said last year, enough with the apology for the stolen generation, and that it is time to forgive. He actually said " Sorry is not the hardest word to say…the hardest is 'I forgive you." When you think, we will never understand the horror and drama of the white washing plans that created the stolen children . The Bring Them Home report https://humanrights.gov.au/sites/default/files/content/pdf/social_justice/bringing_them_home_report.pdf describes the physical abuse, sexual abuse (30% of girls, 10% of boys) , mental abuse , the fear, the trauma, the pain, the sadness... It is endless, and dismissing it, like ScoMo does is just disgusting.

and I agree 100% @Turquioseblue, it is the manipulative lies that make the NO side so dishonest.

Great video for the YES campaign, I agree.

Just for a bit of fun I’ve put a link to Johnny Farnham, Mitch Tambo, Brian Mays and even ‘our Livvie ’, performing The Voice at the Fire Fight Concert. With didgeridoo and bagpipes.

Theres also a video further down the YouTube page of Mitch Tambo performing it with the backdrop of Sydney Harbour.

John Farnham, Mitch Tambo “The Voice”

It's a wonderful ad. I don't say that lightly. Can't believe Dutton now saying he will have his own referendum.

I can believe he’d say that, unfortunately.

I saw a clip of Dutton laughing at the use of the song, and going on about how it’s the ‘top end if town’ who want The Voice to Parliament. The man has been reported to be worth over $300 million. He is the very definition of the ‘top end of town.’

🙄 yes, ALL the Aboriginal people should agree before you have to exercise your own judgement and vote, just like ALL the non Aboriginal people have to agree before we can make a decision on anything. Just listen to yourself FFS

That was for the hopping pavlova person

It seems like Dutton is saying no just because he’s in opposition and it’s not his idea. He’s taking cues from the Tony Abbott school of opposition, where you disagree with everything, regardless of merit, because the other side said it.

He really has shot himself in the foot by criticising the cost of the referendum, but then saying he’ll do another one himself.

This article is a good explainer. Basically the government of the day will have the power to control what it looks like, but they cannot get rid of it.

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-09-03/voice-referendum-vote-on-92-words-stay-out-of-weeds/102800166

@HoppingPavlova

If you had taken the time to truly understand the premise of the voice, it's objectives, it's meaning, you would realise that being a fence sitter is exactly why we need this referendum to succeed. You have fallen foul of msm bullshit (the bigger the ad budget the bigger the pile of shit to wade through).

In simple terms The Voice validates First Nations peoples as exactly that. They were here before the colonisation. Fact. People wonder why Australia is so vanilla - it's because we destroyed the real culture of this incredible land. This is what the white fellas did. Fact.

The fact that some First Nations people are aiming for more than just A Voice - they rightly want Treaty is really not an objection that is yours to make. You are being culturally appropriative and spineless - laying the responsibility of your decision in somebody else's yard

Make a decision about what you think is right. Don't expect validation from an oppressed and abused minority. You will never get that - but you already know that.

You are looking for an excuse to vote no because you know that an outright no vote is wrong and shows you up for what you are. A racist.

This answers a lot of the questions people asks too. In video form. Melbourne University professor answers questions

Also for a quite lengthy article but very good and details what The Voice will look like if we vote yes etc.. Voice explained Make a cup of tea or coffee for this one.