<
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2024/oct/13/i-dont-want-to-revisit-the-time-and-the-fallout-of-the-voice-referendum-but-we-cannot-maintain-the-status-quo>
"A year has passed since the ill-fated voice referendum. In that time, and
indeed in the time leading up to the referendum itself, I repeatedly expressed
my views. There was so much that was wrong with the process, that was
dehumanising, and that was distressing about the entire situation. But while
Indigenous community members have had to pick up the pieces, regroup and begin
discussions about the way forward, the majority of Australia has maintained the
status quo.
The voice was never going to be a magic bullet. No matter how much the Albanese
government attempted to sell it as such, the reality was that what was on the
table was a smidgen better than nothing. Despite this, the proposal was still a
bridge too far for the majority of Australians when it came to recognising the
rights of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.
I don’t want to revisit the time and the fallout. It is depressing to recall
just how readily vast proportions of the Australian public allow themselves to
absorb misinformation campaigns, or how readily they see Indigenous people
gaining a bit more than “no power” as an existential threat. As I have been
clear too, the misinformation was not just in the no camp – the yes camp were
more than willing to paint themselves as champions for anti-racism when the
reality was that any reform to actually conquer racism in Australia was not on
the table. It was window dressing, plain and simple.
I do, though, at this juncture want to look at how Australia can move forward.
The Uluru statement from the heart was, after all, a three-part proposal, and
the agendas of truth-telling and treaty cannot be allowed to fall by the
wayside in the failure of the voice to get up, even if our prime minister is
dodging these responsibilities."
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
