11/07/2023
As the days go by and more time is spent examining the Voice Referendum question and related matters, the issue really can be condensed down to this consideration.
At the present time Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people face disadvantage in a number of areas. These are just some of them – higher incarceration rates, lower life expectancies, greater levels of mental health challenges generated by the Stolen Generation policies against their ancestors, inter-generational trauma, alcohol and other drug abuse issues and a raft of diseases that have been largely eliminated in other parts of the World.
If you vote Yes to the referendum question, then what you are doing is giving the right, to a group of Aboriginal Elders, to have some advisory input to Parliament on laws that impact on their communities. As a person of culturally and linguistically diverse background with disability, I have input through my membership of various advisory groups, into the laws and policies that directly impact me. This Voice is no different but for the ATSI communities.
If however, you choose to Vote No, then you are opting for the status quo to remain and you are entrenching the disadvantage that is referred to above.
And the reason you want to make the change to the constitution is that you would like that advisory body to remain there past the 3 year term of the current government.
Sounds simple? Yes it is that.
This pic is one I created for the Yes to Same Sex Marriage Campaign.
Suresh Rajan