Australians overwhelmingly rejected the referendum to establish a 24-member advisory board to parliament, executive, and civil service, with only 40% voting in favour. Many indigenous Australians also voted against the referendum, questioning how 24 members could represent a diverse group of over 300 tribes. Fears were raised that ‘The Voice’ would be controlled by self-appointed, privileged activists, patronizing Indigenous Australians and the rural marginalized poor.
During the campaign, loud voices labelled those who intended to vote ‘No’ as racist, which was met with scepticism from the Australian population. The referendum was announced just over a year ago, with support running at 65-70 percent. The failure of ‘The Voice’ may be blamed on so-called’ racist Australians by far-left activists. ‘Yes’ campaigners claim dis-information from the ‘no’ camp was to blame.
The defeat of the referendum may set back the cause of Indigenous Australians, as many are already calling for the abolishment of ‘Welcome to Country’ ceremonies due to perceived virtue signalling. Certain groups have allegedly attempted to force something upon Australia’s Indigenous peoples, which they did not want, and this must be referred to as an abuse of Indigenous Australians.
The campaign for the Australian referendum on Indigenous Australians failed to address the issues facing them, such as education, health, employment, and welfare. The AUD 400 million spent could have been better spent on these issues. Questions are now raised about the government’s lack of transparency and accountability, as well as the corruption within the current ‘Aboriginal Voice’. The current ‘Aboriginal Voice’ appears to be controlled by self-identifying and self-serving Indigenous Australians, who have turned Aboriginal rights into an ‘industry’ that doesn’t benefit the poor and marginalized.
The issue of a voice for Indigenous Australians will not come up again for generations, as attention may turn to the Israeli/Hamas conflict. Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s fate could be similar to Ben Chifley’s 1947 attempt to nationalize banks through legislation. The High Court declared the law invalid, and the Chifley government lost office in the 1949 election. If ‘The Voice’ did rise, it could have legitimately been challenged due to Australia’s responsibility to uphold and adhere to the principles in the United Nations ICERD accord.
