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.

  • ⸻ Ban DHMO 🇦🇺 ⸻English
    1·
    1 year ago

    What’s the point of recognition without actually doing something? This is how First Nations Peoples wanted to be recognised in the constitution, according to the Uluru statement from the heart

    • WhirlybirdEnglish
      1·
      1 year ago

      So it’s not about recognition, but about actually doing something? A powerless advisory board doesn’t do anything. There are plenty of them already.

        • WhirlybirdEnglish
          1·
          1 year ago

          Yeah and a powerless easily ignored advisory board isn’t that.

          • ⸻ Ban DHMO 🇦🇺 ⸻English
            1·
            1 year ago

            I confused as to what you’re trying to say: The referendum failed because the Voice was attached to it which people didn’t like it but at the same time it didn’t promise enough? I doubt the result would’ve been any different if it promised to do more than what the proposal offered

            • WhirlybirdEnglish
              1·
              1 year ago

              The referendum failed because the pointless, vague, virtue signalling voice was attached to it. Had there been 2 questions on the referendum, one about recognising indigenous people in the constitution, that absolutely would have passed while the voice one failed.

              Had they actually committed to something that would be guaranteed to help indigenous people because it gave them some power, and importantly been able to give us all the details about it and how it will, that would have had a much better chance than the voice we got.