Walking Together After the Referendum
On October 14th 2023, Australia held an historic, once in a lifetime referendum, to recognise Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people as the traditional custodians and caretakers of the land, and give us a Voice to the Federal Parliament.
On October 14th 2023, Australia voted overwhelmingly against the proposal.
The proposed amendment sought to empower the voices of First Nations’ people to be heard in parliamentary decisions. Although the result was extremely disappointing and disheartening, this was simply a setback for our community. We have been fighting for hundreds of years, and we aren’t stopping any time soon.
Today, there are families who still remain separated as a result of the Stolen Generations. Nationally, 42.8% of the children who have been removed from their family and placed out-of-home care were Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander, even though our community only makes up 3% of the population as a whole.
There are people being killed in custody and in their communities because of their heritage. As a country, we are failing to close the gaps in education, health and employment. We must continue the fight to make our country a fairer, and safer place for all.
The defeat of the referendum has ignited a spark amongst the broader community who now see the need for systemic change. Efforts are underway to mobilize support for real and practical changes for First Nations’ communities.
This campaign was one of the first times I have seen such overwhelming amounts of support rallying around our community. The time and energy people invested was beyond impressive, and those who played a key role in the campaign should stand proud that they were on the right side of history.
The Australian public are more aware of the issues faced by our community than ever before.
Our strength as a community has only been bolstered by the solidarity of the politicians, unions, organisations and everyday people who played a part in the campaign. We now know how much momentum we can build in the pursuit of justice for our people, and in due course, the fight will continue.
The road to the referendum was paved with debates and conflict over the practicality and potential ramifications of such a Voice. After years of bipartisan support for the Voice, Peter Dutton and David Littleproud chose to oppose our proposal. We all heard it.
They called it ‘Risky’, ‘Divisive’ and ‘Dangerous’. They said ‘If you don’t know, vote no’. Support for the collapsed when the people of Australia were fed these shameful lies.
I know that the seven million will continue to have conversations with the nine million; our neighbours, our workmates, our friends. We will turn the no into a resounding yes, through time. The fight continues, fueled by the determination of those who supported us in establishing the voice.
