The “yes” vote in Australia

Haha Rosie, you’re right. I also have German heritage. The surname Harbach really does give it away, but we knew anyway.
I’m not giving anything away re putting that surname in as it is no longer in use in our family. It was the name of one of my great grandfathers.

Oreo

Just read all the comments on this thread and what sticks out a mile is that the posters who know nothing about Australia or this proposal are all shouting their condemnation of so called colonisers and praising the Voices proposal.🤣You gotta laugh!
It’s their referendum and they are the ones who’ll decide based on actual knowledge of what goes on in their country.
There’s even a ScotNat rant about England thrown in for good measure.

I don't confess to knowing as much about this as several others on the thread, or those on here who will be voting.

What I do know is that it will change the Constitution, could be challenged in court and that Yes/No referenda can be divisive.
It is already causing division even amongst those who will be most affected by it.

Compromises to the referendum question are being suggested and it will be interesting to see if Albanese listens to these suggestions.

The most I know about the original peoples of Australia came from reading Bruce Chatwin's Song Lines. I'm not sure if the answer should be "yes" or"no", I do know that there was a rich and complicated culture which was as different to our culture as it is possible to be. That it was a culture deeply embodied in nature and the land and had a spiritual connection with the land. It would seem to me that as the dreadful damage we have done to the earth continues, reconnecting with that culture is highly desirable. If enough knowledge still remains i don't know. If this vote could help to do that I don't know. But surely something is better than nothing

If enough knowledge still remains i don't know
I hope so. I remain optimistic.

Not sure this referendum would help or not. There must be a better way.

I have lived and worked in Alice Springs as a midwife and was saddened and shocked by the poor health outcomes of indigenous women I witnessed there. They are strong and beauty women who need a Voice. I will vote yes because Aboriginal people need the dignity of recognition in the Parliament surely it has got to be a step forward. There is a lot of misinformation out there lots of crazy ideas. I have stopped listening to the no debate it doesn’t make as much sense to me as the yes debate in fact I just get annoyed.

Sorry mistyped strong and beautiful women

Cannana

I have lived and worked in Alice Springs as a midwife and was saddened and shocked by the poor health outcomes of indigenous women I witnessed there. They are strong and beauty women who need a Voice. I will vote yes because Aboriginal people need the dignity of recognition in the Parliament surely it has got to be a step forward. There is a lot of misinformation out there lots of crazy ideas. I have stopped listening to the no debate it doesn’t make as much sense to me as the yes debate in fact I just get annoyed.

Thank you for that contribution - you know what you are talking about.

If, as that mid-wife seems to suggest, it just means that maternal health Improves A Voice would be worth it.

Cannana

I have lived and worked in Alice Springs as a midwife and was saddened and shocked by the poor health outcomes of indigenous women I witnessed there. They are strong and beauty women who need a Voice. I will vote yes because Aboriginal people need the dignity of recognition in the Parliament surely it has got to be a step forward. There is a lot of misinformation out there lots of crazy ideas. I have stopped listening to the no debate it doesn’t make as much sense to me as the yes debate in fact I just get annoyed.

There’s a lot of misinformation around any referendum, look at what both sides were saying in our own one here in the UK at the time we were going to vote on leaving the EU.
In your particular referendum it may mean that even a yes vote will do nothing to help poor outcomes for indigenous women. Here in the UK there is also the question of poorer outcomes for black women, we don’t know why, nature, nurture, culture or what, but there are black MP’s and Ministers in Parliament.It sounds as if the Australian yes/no
Question is a complicated question, but there as here it’s up to the people to decide.

maddyone

Seriously some people need to learn about the people who have gone to live in Australia. Over the many years British, Chinese, African, European, and American people have emigrated to Australia. Australia, much like America, has people living there from just about every country in the world. The so called colonisation of Australia is not down merely to the British, and is certainly not down to anyone who is alive today. This has happened and it can’t be undone. It’s got nothing to do with those of us who are not Australian and they will decide for themselves what their future will be. It’s none of our business.

This in no way negates the fact that Australia was taken from its indigenous population, whose culture was despised by the occupiers, who were marginalised and ill treated, and who are still disadvantaged if they don't conform to the culture that has been imposed on them.

MaizieD

maddyone

Seriously some people need to learn about the people who have gone to live in Australia. Over the many years British, Chinese, African, European, and American people have emigrated to Australia. Australia, much like America, has people living there from just about every country in the world. The so called colonisation of Australia is not down merely to the British, and is certainly not down to anyone who is alive today. This has happened and it can’t be undone. It’s got nothing to do with those of us who are not Australian and they will decide for themselves what their future will be. It’s none of our business.

This in no way negates the fact that Australia was taken from its indigenous population, whose culture was despised by the occupiers, who were marginalised and ill treated, and who are still disadvantaged if they don't conform to the culture that has been imposed on them.

Yes

Cannana

I have lived and worked in Alice Springs as a midwife and was saddened and shocked by the poor health outcomes of indigenous women I witnessed there. They are strong and beauty women who need a Voice. I will vote yes because Aboriginal people need the dignity of recognition in the Parliament surely it has got to be a step forward. There is a lot of misinformation out there lots of crazy ideas. I have stopped listening to the no debate it doesn’t make as much sense to me as the yes debate in fact I just get annoyed.

I'm puzzled as to why the Senators and politicians from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities are not already a voice in Parliament? Have they themselves lost touch with what their communities need? Or are they being ignored by successive governments?

Certainly, we must all have heard of Noel Pearson and Jacinta Price even over here in the UK so have their voices fallen on deaf ears?

Callistemon21

Cannana

I have lived and worked in Alice Springs as a midwife and was saddened and shocked by the poor health outcomes of indigenous women I witnessed there. They are strong and beauty women who need a Voice. I will vote yes because Aboriginal people need the dignity of recognition in the Parliament surely it has got to be a step forward. There is a lot of misinformation out there lots of crazy ideas. I have stopped listening to the no debate it doesn’t make as much sense to me as the yes debate in fact I just get annoyed.

I'm puzzled as to why the Senators and politicians from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities are not already a voice in Parliament? Have they themselves lost touch with what their communities need? Or are they being ignored by successive governments?

Certainly, we must all have heard of Noel Pearson and Jacinta Price even over here in the UK so have their voices fallen on deaf ears?

And - what are the plans if the outcome is No?

Does the Constitution have to be altered in order to bring about change?

I hope there are alternative plans because we had none here!

Cannana

I have lived and worked in Alice Springs as a midwife and was saddened and shocked by the poor health outcomes of indigenous women I witnessed there. They are strong and beauty women who need a Voice. I will vote yes because Aboriginal people need the dignity of recognition in the Parliament surely it has got to be a step forward. There is a lot of misinformation out there lots of crazy ideas. I have stopped listening to the no debate it doesn’t make as much sense to me as the yes debate in fact I just get annoyed.

This is a sensible and informative post. Thank you.
It makes no difference to those of us in Britain, or anywhere else that’s not Australia, what the outcome of the referendum will be, but if a yes vote helps the Aboriginal people in some ways, then I should think that’s a good thing.
I still maintain that it’s nothing to do with me ( or you if you’re not Australian) and I still object to the term colonisers because not only is it derogatory, it’s meant to be derogatory. No need for it. Leave the Australians to their own affairs.

eagleswings

No wonder these indigenous peoples are still lacking in hope and direction, they are a people still suffering grief from having had their children taken from them and given to white families to raise. This was happening in the 50s, not that long ago. They are a people (like the North American Indian) who had a dialogue with the land when travelling through. When an aborigine travels in a car their language speeds up. Both people’s have been, over the years, confined to reservations which for them is like being confined to prison. Australian settlers need to make reparation for this shameful recent, history. The first step is to give these indigenous peoples a voice and then plenty of financial support and help for as long as it takes. Share the wealth with these people.

eagleswings that was still happening up until the 1970s!! 😲
Were we aware here in the UK? No.

Leave the Australians to their own affairs

I agree, however, it seems to keep appearing on my FB page from various sources so I was interested in the different viewpoints.

It puzzled me that someone seemed to think that Senator Price

Sorry, posted too soon

It still puzzles me that someone seemed to think that Senator Price is unaware of the issues just because she has a Celtic father.
Some of her opponents have been quite vicious in their comments about her.

The vision for The Voice to Parliament from an Indigenous leader supporting Yes:

The Indigenous Voice to parliament is about getting the country’s First Peoples off welfare, into jobs, and keeping kids at school
Noel Pearson

www.afr.com/politics/federal/help-us-help-ourselves-pearson-s-vision-for-voice-20230727-p5drop#:~:text='Help%20us%20help%20ourselves'%3A%20Pearson's%20vision%20for%20Voice&text=For%20Noel%20Pearson%2C%20the%20Indigenous,and%20keeping%20kids%20at%20school.

maddyone

Cannana

I have lived and worked in Alice Springs as a midwife and was saddened and shocked by the poor health outcomes of indigenous women I witnessed there. They are strong and beauty women who need a Voice. I will vote yes because Aboriginal people need the dignity of recognition in the Parliament surely it has got to be a step forward. There is a lot of misinformation out there lots of crazy ideas. I have stopped listening to the no debate it doesn’t make as much sense to me as the yes debate in fact I just get annoyed.

This is a sensible and informative post. Thank you.
It makes no difference to those of us in Britain, or anywhere else that’s not Australia, what the outcome of the referendum will be, but if a yes vote helps the Aboriginal people in some ways, then I should think that’s a good thing.
I still maintain that it’s nothing to do with me ( or you if you’re not Australian) and I still object to the term colonisers because not only is it derogatory, it’s meant to be derogatory. No need for it. Leave the Australians to their own affairs.

And the Australian posters who post about our politics.

Honestly - it really is one world now, and what happens in any country almost certainly has influence in another.

I have used the term colonisers because it was the term used by Rory Stewart and Alaister Campbell when they were talking about the subject.

Like you I was initially uncomfortable about the term, but gave it a lot of thought and realised that from the aborigines viewpoint, that is exactly as they were/are seen. It is probably uncomfortable perhaps for those who have recently arrived in Australia (the past 200 years or so) but it is the best description in my view as to what happens to indigenous folk when aliens arrive without a by your leave or thank you, grabbed your ancestral lands, told you that your ancient religion was rubbish and theirs much better, took away you children and introduced a drug for which your body has no defence. On top of that they have violated your precious lands to make vast quantities of wealth from which you have not gained nor in many cases want to.

I think colonisers is quite polite in the circumstance.

Thank you for your explanation Whitewave. It’s appreciated. We just agree to disagree.

Hmmm, how about reparation from those colonising Normans then?
If Alistair Campbell and that twit Rory Stewart use a word then it must be right hey?
It’s used as an insult, pure and simple.

Oreo

Hmmm, how about reparation from those colonising Normans then?
If Alistair Campbell and that twit Rory Stewart use a word then it must be right hey?
It’s used as an insult, pure and simple.

Thank you for your considered, temperate and well thought out reply.

I’m so heartened by your post Cannana. It is good to know some people care about people less fortunate than themselves. Surely giving these people a Voice is a step in the right direction of them feeling respected.

Silvergirl

I’m so heartened by your post Cannana. It is good to know some people care about people less fortunate than themselves. Surely giving these people a Voice is a step in the right direction of them feeling respected.

It's a referendum.

The problem with a referendum, as we all know, is that it could come back with what some will believe is the wrong answer.

I still don't see why people cannot be given a voice and advise Government without a change of the Constitution.
So much work has and is being done to try to right the wrongs of the past and more does need to be done.

But what if the answer is No?
What then?

Perhaps Australians on here might be able to enlighten me.

Oreo

Hmmm, how about reparation from those colonising Normans then?
If Alistair Campbell and that twit Rory Stewart use a word then it must be right hey?
It’s used as an insult, pure and simple.

An insult? How?

Oh yes, Angles, Saxons, Picts, Jutes, Danes and Vikings...do remind us, when was that? And when was Australia colonised?

First Europeans, 1788, nearly 500 years ago, well before our time. We had no say in who invaded our country either.