I am an instinctive Yes supporter, but when this referendum fails, which it will, its proponents will have to face some hard truths.
Much has been made of the high failure rate of referendums in Australia. Only eight of 44 have achieved the challenging “double majority” threshold: that is, a referendum proposal must win the support of most voters nationally as well as a majority in at least four of the six states.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese at the Garma Festival in East Arnhem in 2022, when he announced the Voice referendum.Anthony Albanese celebrated his May 2022 federal election victory by drawing a line in the sand at the Garma Festival in Arnhem Land with a gesture that was far more naive than it was courageous. He could set right, he hoped, 235 years of disastrous race relations. He could also immortalise himself.
I am an instinctive Yes supporter. Like many, I identify with making good on a meaningful gesture, rather than having any intrinsic belief that the Voice will deliver a better and lasting way of life for Indigenous Australians. Saying that the Voice will close the gap in the short to medium term is simply starry-eyed.
As with so many dates with destiny, this one has far more to do with the standing and ambitions of the proponents than what it can deliver to the underclass it is purported to help. Politicians, elected and unelected, Indigenous and non-Indigenous, are invested in the referendum – especially the Voice part of it – up to their eyeballs. How any of them can say “this is not about politics” takes incredulity to new levels. It’s all about politics.
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