The “yes” vote in Australia

mokryna

Thank you

Perhaps an Australian Gransnetter might be along to say that I've got it all wrong! but this is just a precis of what I have heard from people I know who have been pondering about which way to vote in the referendum,.

Thank you

mokryna

I read somewhere that some people voted no because they were worried about being charged land taxes. Which people would they be talking about?

Farmers who bought their farms in good faith worrying about paying land taxes to the people who say they are the original owners of that land.

A volunteer group which wished to plant thousands of trees along a river in WA were threatened with a $2.5 million tax for approval of the scheme by the newly formed Whadjuk Aboriginal Corporation, who claimed the land was of cultural significance.

The new Aboriginal Cultural Heritage Act, which came into force this year in WA, has now been repealed, I think (but don't quote me!).

I read somewhere that some people voted no because they were worried about being charged land taxes. Which people would they be talking about?

Aboriginal people and Torres Strait Islanders are disparate groups of people with different heritage.

Those people who want to live in the original ways can do so, although children must be schooled, but many do not. Many Aboriginal people do go on to university, (not a representative proportion) TAFE, work in jobs and professions and are part of the diverse communities. However, there is still a long way to go and the hope is that there are other ways forward now.
Let's hope that holding the referendum has not been a backwards step.

Why should indigenous peoples be expected to integrate?

I’m not surprised by a no vote, a great deal of money and effort has been expended in recent years trying the help the indigenous population, Your average Australian thinks it’s mostly been wasted because very little progress has been made, they don’t want to change their lifestyle

maddyone

Thank you nanna and Callistemon. That all makes sense now. I couldn’t understand it before.

It's a lot more complicated than my post would suggest.
Many communities and leaders are very divided.

But the fact remains that every Australian citizen age 18 and over has a vote and voting is in fact compulsory.
(Unless you are in prison serving a sentence of more than three years.)

Thank you nanna and Callistemon. That all makes sense now. I couldn’t understand it before.

maddyone

I was just wondering why the no vote was so resounding. Can you fill us in a bit more please nanna8?

I know that DD went to chat to her neighbour, who is Aboriginal, to ask her opinion whilst she was pondering which way to vote; they have several homes on their property and the neighbour said they were all voting No because they thought it was divisive.
There was also the threat of land taxes, yes. City people may not have been aware of this but in rural communities it was a real possibility. That would also make the price of food extortionate for all.

Thanks nanna and others. I was wondering what it was all about.

The Yes campaign people were asked over and over again just what would happen after voting yes. There was never any answer and people started to get frightened that a huge land tax would be put on everyone . We are all struggling just now, as is everyone else throughout the world. It was also felt the Yes vote divided the country too much into indigenous people and the rest. The indigenous people , most of them, just want the same opportunities and assistance that everyone else gets. They didn’t want to fight with everyone or be singled out as’different’ . If all that vast amount of money spent on the referendum had been spent on medical services, sporting facilities, educational assistance for disadvantaged first nations people we would all have been happy but instead it became political and just deceitful.

I was just wondering why the no vote was so resounding. Can you fill us in a bit more please nanna8?

A vote for commonsense and also because the PM didn’t explain anything to anyone. The Aboriginal people I know all voted No because there was no help for them and only a support for the loud mouthed people in Canberra who do not and never have truly represented them.

GrannyGravy13

Callistemon21

It was Country wide all 6 states voted no

Every State and Territory except ACT which voted yes.

I always forget that Canberra is Austria Capital Territory, sorry

Don't apologise! 😃

It is to be regretted

Callistemon21

^It was Country wide all 6 states voted no^

Every State and Territory except ACT which voted yes.

I always forget that Canberra is Austria Capital Territory, sorry

It was Country wide all 6 states voted no

Every State and Territory except ACT which voted yes.

Referendums are badly flawed as decision making tools and a way for elected politicians to shirk their responsibilities to legislate and govern. Brexit is an obvious example.

The results are in a 2-1 verdict of no

It was Country wide all 6 states voted no.

I expect you know far more about Australia than me, so I will leave you to it.

All I was wondering was - what are the plans in the event of a No vote?

Or, as they say in Australia, YeahNah.

History books so often are- for all the wrong reasons.

Same story, basically
Not really.
The history books tell a different account, but of course they could be wrong.

Callistemon21

Fleurpepper

Let's transfer out thought to the USA - should the native Indians be represented in Government? Should they be 'grateful' for the invasions, destructions, and wonderful culture that has been imposed on them? Should they make more efforts to 'integrate' into that new society?

No, don't lets.
That muddies the waters and Australia is not America, thank goodness.

Same story, basically.

Of course there are other countries that did colonise other parts of the world. What difference does it make?

The British Empire were true champions however.

The British are always castigated on GN for colonisation by previous generations. Many countries also have a history of Empire as is evidenced by place names around the world.

Interestingly - what is the most widely spoken language in the Southern Hemisphere?