Daniel's View on the Voice

On 14 October 2023, Australians will vote in a referendum to recognise Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as the First Peoples of Australia through an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice enshrined in the Constitution.

This week, we heard from Daniel Bourke, a construction site manager from Mangerton.

The world is rife with 'what ifs' and 'what nots' at the moment, and so many of these are with reference to the legitimacy of the First Nations Voice To Parliament. There seem to be conversations about home-owners losing their backyards the day after a successful YES vote, and councils having to cancel long-planned projects, or worse and perhaps more concerning, that the Government will refuse to listen to the Voice.

Whilst ignoring all the hullaballoo and maintaining strong positivity, there is a thought that amongst this chaff we might wrap our mitts around some strong and sturdy strands of wheat.

Imagine that this Referendum provides us with the means to finally mature as a nation, whereby the few are ably assisted by the many, and leadership held to account when failing to do so.

As a mature and confident society, we hold in our hands the strongest capacity to determine the trajectory of compassion in this country. This very first opportunity presents itself on October 14, as we decide if First Nations People will be heard 56 years after being seen.

If, as I expect, the general goodness of the population reigns on October 14, we may find ourselves experiencing a typical populist election campaign in the not-too-distant future. Should either party decide to play football with the Voice, we would expect a concerned and mature society to relegate such campaigning to the lowest rung of political positioning.

There is no place in a mature nation for conspiracies, misinformation and fear. Any political party attempting to gain power on the back of playing to these low-rent alternatives to empathy, compassion and truth must be called out by a society determined to care for those who lack the capacity to mount a bulk campaign themselves.

Not for the first time, the beauty and sensitivity of First Nations People is on display as, through this Referendum process, we are being taught so much about ourselves. Obviously, the Voice is going to have an enormous toll on the disparate conditions experienced around the country in many Indigenous communities. As part of the bigger picture, wouldn’t it be wonderful if the YES vote was the beginning of an entirely new perspective on social responsibility.