Indigenous Australians end week of silence; denounce 'shameful' referendum result

They are right. Utterly shameful.

No campaign based on fear and misinformation. A missed opportunity.

The electors voted against an unnecessary and hugely expensive extra layer of bureaucracy.

Indigenous citizens are over-represented in the National parliament relative to the population. It is wise to remember the successful "No" campaign was led by Aborigines - Senator Jacinta Nampijinpa Price and Mr. Nyunggai Warren Mundine.

The Aussie government cannot be trusted and its treatment of Aboriginals is one of the proofs.

So, a week of relative peace and quiet before they returned to their regular harping and carping about anyone who disagrees with them being certifiable racists. No wonder they lost.

Another shamefully biased article.

If anything, it's concerning that 39% of Australians thought it was a good idea to vote "yes" based on nothing more than feel-good emotional statements.

Time for a financial investigation into those who are behind this complete waste of time and money.

The right-wing wowsers of Oz deftly employed the infectious Trumpy Big Lie(s) to gaslight a scared white constituency. The stain of bigotry remains, but the Aboriginal minority won't stop aspiring to demand and expect more dignity and respect from the European settlers and immigrants. Since they've lived on their land for 65,000 years, they surely have the patience to wait a bit longer for what they wish and hope for.

Don't mention that many indigenous citizens also voted NO.

Don't mention that many indigenous citizens also voted NO.

No, go ahead. Mention it. Then back it up with some statistics. How many? What percentage? What do you mean by ‘many’?

Don’t say ‘do your own research’ you are the one claiming it’s being silenced. Share what you know.

The concept was from an indigenous forum of leaders and elders who came together to determine how they could get better governance from future governments no matter which party was leading. After deliberating these indigenous leaders from around the nation came up with a consultative body that could advise government on how to tackle issues and concerns of the first nations people. To listen to advice of elders who are custodians of the history of a people who have lived over 60,000 years continuously, in harmony with the land and did so with no modern technology available.

Yes, there were some indigenous people who disagreed with their elders suggestion and voted no. That is fact. It is also a fact that many more indigenous people agreed with the proposal and voted yes.

This was a missed oportunity and a sign of the times that almost all votes on all things will now be tained no matter where in the world it happens, tained with misinformation to obscure truth and reason. Through social media and websites supposedly providing truthful news coverage, but in essence giving misinformation to people who have a hatred or mistrust of governments and mainstream media, and as such are ripe for believing things that are not true.

Examples are plentiful, Russian disinformation on its invasion of Ukraine. Fox news disinformation on the 2020 elections in the US for a "stolen election", since proven that they knew it was fake and ran with it for ratings and income. Interference in the political process in the US, France and other countries has been shown to be a now favored scheme of authoritarians to get those friendlier or less hostile to them, voted into office.

The no vote had no answer on how to help improve the issues for indigenous people but had no problem tearing down the one put forward, with fear and misinformation rather than any facts that had proof.

Yes there are racists in Australia. Bigots and gullible people also live here. But there are also many decent people who see there remain many issues unresolved and unsolved for indigenous people, and wish to improve and correct them.

A way needs to be found to combat the army of misinformation spreaders, who do harm and no good at all.

The GOP in the US have control of the house but no unity in their party so cant elect a speaker. The first speaker was only elected after many many votes. Now they say to their nation, choose us to lead America, but without internal stability, trust and unity they cant govern themselves of leads the house let alone America itself. They are so fractured they are frozen and useless. Lets not follow their example in Australia. lets work for unity for the sake of all. No radicals, no misinformation and no anger and looking at the other side as enemies when all love their nation, and are the same people with different ideas.

Australia has failed its indigenous people this time, but they will keep trying and future generations will solve this by working together and trying new things.

Albo needs to create a new body within the government for leadership and elders of indigenous people to advise this government. See how it works in operation, improve it along the way and see if the next government keeps it in place and works with it. Once people see it working they can decide if it is a good idea or not, if it works to improve outcomes, save money from being spent uselessly. If it is effective THEN hold another referendum and provide details on how it has worked, how it has failed and then been corrected. Let people decide with no disinformation, but with facts gathered from a working group over years of operation.

Try a few things out and when something works well, then enshrine it in the constitution. Maybe that would work.

No, don’t put up more barriers

No, don’t let people make more division

No, don’t let one group lord it over another

No, don’t ignore the democratic referendum result…

This was not a referendum on Aborigine 'rights'. They have the same rights as anyone else in Australia. I'm sickened to see Australia get so much stick over this. They made absolutely the right decision despite all the usual bullying, threats and smears from the worldwide, bien-pensant, holier-than-thou virtue-signallers.

This was not a referendum on Aborigine 'rights'. They have the same rights as anyone else in Australia.

So what was it a referendum on?

I’ve seen enough division when one group tries to out another group using one sided laws-there are no winners just more divisiveness!

Even after being resoundly defeated, Yes campaign figutehead Patricia Karvelas said “we’ve got to be honest with ourselves this morning... I think this country has a real issue around race, racism, and a lack of knowledge on Indigenous Australians.

She just doesn't get it. The often repeated lie that all indigenous people wanted this has been exposed - the electorates of Parkes NSW and Leichhardt Queensland, both of which have the second and third-highest Indigenous populations in the country at around 16 per cent, recorded strong No votes.

The Voice was always about the Socialist Aboriginal elite and the activist class. The inner-city leftists LOVED the idea, and polling showed they were the ONLY ones who did. Who lives in these locations? Journalists like Kavelas, politicians, the heads of sporting bodies, unions, Universities and the activist class... all those that supported the Voice.

The Yes camp was wrong, Australia does not have a issue with race and racism. It is they is they, living in a snug echo chamber of their own self belief that they know best, that is out of touch.

No campaign based on fear and misinformation

Misinformation !? Give me a break.

The yes campaign had way more money to spend on advertising & marketing, thanks to the biggest corporations & businesses in Australia. Media outlets & even sporting organisations were promoting their cause.

The yes mob still refuse to accept the result and have resorted to calling 2/3 of Australians racists, & idiots for falling for this ‘misinformation’

This is how democracy works, and as much as it was not a very fair result, and as much as the aboriginals have every right to be unhappy about it, nevertheless it was what the people decided.

However, this idea that giving them a non-binding voice somehow would create division is just extremists putting out an extremist view. It's literally painting the idea as the opposite of what it was - giving the aboriginals a say from their perspective in a parliament that currently only has the perspective of the descendants of the colonizers, which is not inclusive.

But again, that's democracy. Lick your wounds, and try again in a few years.

Does Australia have a Constitution to prevent the tyranny of the majority from harming minority groups?

Simmering racial divisions were exposed earlier this month when just over 60 percent of Australians voted against a referendum to acknowledge Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders within the 1901 constitution.

Everyone in Australia is already recognized and acknowledged in the Land Down Under…as Australians. Each person born in Australia, or whoever becomes a citizen, is Australian. Adding prefixes to the descriptor “Australian” is what divides the people, not a vote against an ill thought out referendum.

NO voters said YES we are already united.

Electorates with high indigenous populations voted NO.

And as said above:

Everyone in Australia is already recognized and acknowledged in the Land Down Under…as Australians.

Australians could have voted either way but it all came down to the strong campaign and a lot of misinformation from the “ No “ team advocates. They were more vigorous, more vocal and did more campaigning. The “ Yes “ team advocates were more mild and even though they had big name celebrities advocating for them it was sort of more subtle. Then the other issue was the voter turnout which was terrible as people just didn’t bother to vote for this referendum.

Australians could have voted either way but it all came down to the strong campaign and a lot of misinformation from the “ No “ team advocates. They were more vigorous, more vocal and did more campaigning. 

Other way around

No one can change the psyche of White Australia.

Keepyer Internetpoints

The Aussie government cannot be trusted and its treatment of Aboriginals is one of the proofs.

How so? It was this government that proposed the referendum in the first place. How have they treated Aboriginals badly?

Jeremiah

Simmering racial divisions were exposed earlier this month when just over 60 percent of Australians voted against a referendum to acknowledge Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders within the 1901 constitution.

Everyone in Australia is already recognized and acknowledged in the Land Down Under…as Australians. Each person born in Australia, or whoever becomes a citizen, is Australian. Adding prefixes to the descriptor “Australian” is what divides the people,

No, it isn't. The vote wasn't about who Australians are.

Australians could have voted either way but it all came down to the strong campaign and a lot of misinformation from the “ No “ team advocates. They were more vigorous, more vocal and did more campaigning. The “ Yes “ team advocates were more mild and even though they had big name celebrities advocating for them it was sort of more subtle. Then the other issue was the voter turnout which was terrible as people just didn’t bother to vote for this referendum.

Completely nonsensical post from a clear non-Australian resident.

I live in Australia 1/3 of the year and was there right up until a week before the referendum date. You could not attend any market, fête, sporting event or public gathering without there being a multitude of YES campaigners handing out paraphernalia, while the No campaign had zero public visibility and hardly any media presence.

If the Yes movement was anything other than a vibe-based concoction from inner-city elites, they would not have needed this ridiculous amount of spent on advertising and campaigning.

Then the other issue was the voter turnout which was terrible as people just didn’t bother to vote for this referendum.

Voting is compulsory in Australia. Don't show up to the polling booth, cop a fine. Practically EVERYONE voted in this referendum. And two-thirds of that everyone said NO to dividing Australians along racial lines, NO to enshrining inequality and NO to victimhood into the constitution.

There was one critical flaw to the Yes campaign, cutting through to the very principle and concept of one-person-one-vote.

Implementation of proposed changes to the constitution, my I suggest gave the dangerous assumption that cultural Indigenous Australians vote as one homogenous group.

To quote the Voice referendum and the YES manifesto.

Voice have 24 members: two appointed by the government, two from each state, territory and the Torres Strait, five from “remote” parts of Northern Territory, Western Australia, Queensland, South Australia and New South Wales, and one for Torres Strait Islanders living on the mainland.

“Local and Regional Voices” (community organizations) within each state and territory would “collectively determine” Voice members for their respective jurisdictions.

Voters in essence would be voting on proposals blind to the outcomes.

This could result in conflict, confusion all without authority of a democratic mandate, undermining  constitutional right to make representations to elected government.

This article is misleading, and politically disingenuous, with the suggestion all no voters have racial motivations for refusing to agree with the yes campaign.

The truth is that the majority of Australians have committed a shameful act whether knowingly or not, and there is nothing positive to be interpreted from it,"

Now they reveal their true sentiments and colours. They didn’t even sign it. More proof Australia dodged a bullet and made the right decision.

appalling and mean-spirited"

The deluge of "deliberate disinformation" unleashed a "tsunami of racism against our people", the letter said.

With the prime minister, acadamia, media and big business all lined up behind the voice Australians still managed to see right through it all and vote a resounding Naaaa.

All the smoke and mirrors, attempts to shame and divide, but deep down we all knew which well the mindset of this letter (and many of the activist class) had sprung. It was a mindset Aussies don’t want to be around, nor encourage. Divisive, bitter and entitled. You couldn’t get more unAustralian actually. There’s a reason why they went silent for a week too.

In the future, if there is a better model that rises from the ashes of this disaster for labor to appear , and if the supporters rethink their whole approach to a terribly run campaign , then anything is possible. Have a mate in Australia who actually writes speeches for a labor politician and even he reckons in hindsight it was probably ten years too early and that the campaign was an absolute disaster. The YES campaign spent the whole time preaching to the already converted and never bothered to really engage with people who had their reservations. They seemed incapable of having a level playing field, calm headed conversation or debate. It was all emotions and mush. The conservatives naturally stepped in a cleaned up as per their natures.

Sentiments of wanting a fair go for all Australians will always remain and people still care deeply for the well being of our indigenous brothers and sisters, no matter what the sentiments of this nameless letter says. This particular voice model simply wasn’t the way.

For those disappointed in the result , that’s life. That’s democracy. Dust yourselves off, go easy on the over emotive finger pointing ( cause now you are charging at the majority of the population, not a great mental health tool ) and just get back to work helping make the place a better country. Be that change!

If not, stay angry guys, learn nothing. Calling people names and racists, misinformation and mean spirited is a great short cut to thinking. Time tested!