What do First Nations people think about the proposed Indigenous Voice to parliament? We spoke to dozens of Indigenous people from all walks of life to hear their voices.
We spoke to dozens of Indigenous people from all walks of life in capital cities, country towns and remote communities, from Townsville to Tasmania, and Broome to Adelaide. The conversations took place before the current campaign by Opposition Leader Peter Dutton tobefore a referendum on enshrining a Voice in the Constitution.
Anthony Hume, 42, a Yorta Yorta man from Torquay in Victoria, was typical of the Voice supporters. “It is about time that we had a voice, so it is a definite yes from me, that’s for sure,” he says.Barry Smith, 51, a Noongar-Ballardong man from Midland, Western Australia, said: “I come from a country town where we don’t really have a say in much. I would really like to have someone who is representing us.
Ros Sailor, a Kuku Yalanji and Waanyi woman from Townsville, said she was presently “sitting on the fence” because she did not know enough about the planned Voice to make an informed decision.Rodney Gibbins, a palawa man from Hobart, was also in the undecided camp, saying he didn’t understand the proposal.
We spoke to men and women, young people and elders, people who are politically engaged, and people who say the only “Voice” they know of is the singing competition on television. There did not seem to be a consistent pattern, except that people who considered themselves well-informed were more likely to have a strong opinion.
“The elder community that I mix with in Tassie here at home – we don’t have discussions on the Voice,” Shaw says. “It’s not an issue that we’ve talked about because it’s not an issue that’s been raised around our kitchen tables.”
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