Voice to parliament referendum fails in defeat that Indigenous advocates will see as a blow to progress towards reconciliation
Australians have resoundingly rejected a proposal to recognise Aboriginal people in its constitution and establish a body to advise parliament on Indigenous issues.
Saturday’s voice to parliament referendum failed, with the defeat clear shortly after polls closed.
It's always so funny when Americans on here, including me, are openly willing to discuss how shitty, racist, and full of bigots the United States is. Around 40% of the population is complete filth and we're happy to openly acknowledge that.
Meanwhile, Canada, the UK, and Australian users, even if they're on the left, try to find excuses to not acknowledge that their general public is also significantly racist and bigoted. And always have been.
If the Yes campaign are serious about the Voice to the nation being important to the Indigenous people, then no-one is standing in the way of making it happen. The vote to enshrine it in the Constitution failed, but the body can still be created and can still function primarily the same.
This is a victory for racists, and bad-faith actors, some some of which have received lots of money from China and Russia to help destabilise another Western country.
Thanks to the media shovelling fear, misinformation and lies into our minds. I blame Facebook, Twitter and Murdoch for this one.
The conspiracy theories around this issue were fucking wild. Ranging from the UN taking control of our government, to abolishing all land ownership and giving them the right to have your home demolished, to some bizarre thing about the pope or some shit.
Australians have resoundingly rejected a proposal to recognise Aboriginal people in its constitution and establish a body to advise parliament on Indigenous issues.
The defeat will be seen by Indigenous advocates as a blow to what has been a hard fought struggle to progress reconciliation and recognition in modern Australia, with First Nations people continuing to suffer discrimination, poorer health and economic outcomes.
Nationwide support for the voice was hovering at about 40% in the week before the vote, with coverage of the campaign being overshadowed by the outbreak of war in the Middle East in the crucial final days.
The failure of Australia’s previous referendum in 1999 – to become a republic and acknowledge Indigenous ownership – was seen to have failed because it put forward a specific model to voters.
It weathered accusations that it championed the voice push while failing to deliver tangible improvements for citizens facing cost of living pressures and a housing crisis hurt the yes side.
Opposition also emerged from the far left of progressive politics and a minority of grassroots Indigenous activists, who rejected the voice while calling for more significant reconciliation measures, including a treaty with Aboriginal Australians.
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It would have made more sense to just legislate an advisory body to parliament as envisioned and planned, to show people: see, it's literally just an advisory body with no veto or other legislative power, and then put it to a refenedum to enshrine it in the constitution afterwards.
Would have given the no campaign less space. "If you don't know, vote no" would have had less traction.
I remain hopeful. Even though a vast majority voted no to establish a body, I certainly hope that we have a government that can put something into action and that the Libs stay stuck in the weeds until they find what they stand for again.
The article is deliberately misleading. The vote was to change the Australian Constitution to include a section giving Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples a voice in parliament, which they already have through inner dialogue between their mobs and local government. How this constitutional change would look or be enacted was not known and very vague, with the crux being that it would still be government controlled, there was widespread animosity from First Nations people about it being another 'white-man's decision', it would create division by being unequal when indigenous Australians are striving for equality.
I don't give a shit which side of history you want to fall on, no democratic society can be expected to make a cognizant decision without knowledge. I want for our Aboriginal people's to have as much support as they deserve, however making a constitutional change before you write the plan is fucking ignorant.
I might vote Labor, but I don't support aggrivated ignorance, lack of conviction, and poorly thought out attempts at virtue signalling without putting any real weight behind it. If you want to act like you're want to make a change, prove it by coming up with a plan before you choose to start the plan. I want to see real change for our Aboriginal ancestors, not sweeping the real issue under the rug with a token gesture.
I've got a better idea than the voice, liquidate the Australian billionaires who raped our country for it's resources for profit and give those proceeds to groups dedicated to improving indigenous people's situation, and even that is a more cohesive plan than what was put forward.
The Aborigines were Mauri Rebels forced to play the role of “savage” for colonization part of Australia co’s production they still haven’t been paid and are still underpaid by Australia Co.
So far this is filled with posts about how Australia is racist and Americans talking about America (because that's relevant?)
The title is a lie, or at the very least being maliciously deceptive. This is a common theme among 'Yes' supporters I've noticed. They laughably claim that their opponents spread 'fake news' all the while plugging their fingers in their ears spreading their own misinformation while sniffing their own farts so they can feel superior.
The referendum was about permanently enshrining an advisory body into Australian politics specifically to make race-based representations to parliament. That is racist. Most Australians don't support embedding racism into our Constitution. They voted against it. The end.