From the news: on the Voice [Note: Content Warning - links to reports on bigotry/hate, violence. Reader discretion is advised]

PS - I have come across someone using “Anti-YES” rather than “no”, and will do so myself from here on

There have been more news reports on matters related to the Voice: 

Two key comments: 

• “A no vote will ‘bring shame upon us’ and signal reconciliation is no longer viable, Noel Pearson says”   https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2023/oct/10/a-no-vote-will-bring-shame-upon-us-and-signal-reconciliation-is-no-longer-viable-noel-pearson-says   
• “Paul Bongiorno: There’s more at stake this Saturday than the fate of the Voice”   https://thenewdaily.com.au/finance/2023/10/10/voice-referendum-fallout-paul-bongiorno/   “The troubling prospect is that the success of these tactics will set the template for electoral success going forward”  

More support: 

• “Noel Pearson says a shared love of country, of the land, unites all Australians and drives the motivation for constitutional recognition of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people”   https://nit.com.au/27-09-2023/7853/noel-pearson-says-new-settlement-of-unity-presents-with-a-yes-vote-on-voice   
• “Heart to Heart”   https://theaimn.com/heart-to-heart/   
• “How an Australian rapper's Yes Voice to Parliament skit was viewed by millions”   https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-10-06/australian-rappers-yes-voice-skit-goes-viral/102937176  
  
• “Uluru Statement from the Heart architects have hit back at Warren Mundine after the no campaign leader likened the document to a “symbolic declaration of war against modern Australia” ”   https://nit.com.au/27-09-2023/7848/uluru-statement-architects-hit-back-at-warren-mundines-press-club-comments   
• “Warren Mundine’s daughter says his opposition to voice not ‘morally right’ ”   https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2023/oct/02/warren-mundines-daughter-says-his-opposition-to-voice-not-morally-right    
• “Former chief justice slams no campaign’s core argument against voice as ‘resentful’”   https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2023/oct/06/former-chief-justice-slams-no-campaigns-core-argument-against-voice-as-resentful   “In a National Press Club speech, Robert French also refutes common anti-voice argument that it will constrain executive decision-making”    
• “ ‘No alternative’ to voice, Pat Dodson says in last-ditch appeal ahead of referendum”   https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2023/oct/11/indigenous-voice-to-parliament-referendum-pat-dodson-yes-appeal   
• “Why the Voice could be a bulwark against _____ism gaining a stronger foothold in Australia”   https://theconversation.com/why-the-voice-could-be-a-bulwark-against-trumpism-gaining-a-stronger-foothold-in-australia-213856   
• “Historians urge Australians to ‘be on the right side of history’ when they vote in voice referendum”   https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2023/oct/06/indigenous-voice-to-parliament-referendum-historians-open-letter   
• “As a Liberal MP, I am voting yes to the voice because we have two Australias now and I want a united one”   https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2023/oct/05/as-a-liberal-mp-i-am-voting-yes-to-the-voice-because-we-have-two-australias-now-and-i-want-a-united-one  
• “Central Land Council delegates vote Yes at Uluru”   https://nit.com.au/05-10-2023/7963/central-land-council-delegates-vote-yes-at-uluru   
• “Imams and sheikhs to urge Australian Muslims to back voice during Friday prayers”   https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2023/oct/06/indigenous-voice-to-parliament-referendum-imams-sheikhs-yes-campaign   
• From Reconciliation Australia:  “That's why I'm asking women to support the Voice”   https://youtu.be/tpqlJ-b6J54?si=UIG-GfndOSv82DF_   
• “Victorian youth advocates urge support for Voice to Parliament”   https://nit.com.au/09-10-2023/8032/victorian-youth-advocates-urge-support-for-voice-to-parliament   
• “The Guardian view on Australia’s Indigenous voice referendum: a yes vote is a clear step forwards”   https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2023/oct/10/indigenous-voice-to-parliament-referendum-guardian-view-yes-vote   
• From the First Peoples' Assembly of Victoria: “Former High Court Justice Kenneth Hayne and Assembly Co-Chair Rueben Berg chat Voice Referendum”   https://youtu.be/JUwoD7q9fkg?si=fhPZk8_Nh8Jcqi8j   and see also https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Kenneth_Hayne&oldid=1145984805#Later_public_life   
• “Birthing on country success stories prove how important it is for Aboriginal mothers to have a voice”   https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2023/oct/10/birthing-on-country-success-stories-prove-how-important-it-is-for-aboriginal-mothers-to-have-a-voice    
• “Change is slow, but once in a while there is a tipping point. The voice is one of those moments”   https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2023/oct/11/indigenous-voice-to-parliament-referendum-first-nations-voters  
  
• “As much the soil of the Pitjantjatjara”   https://aliensideboob.substack.com/p/as-much-the-soil-of-the-pitjantjatjara  
  

Concerning matters: 

• “Arrest, hospitalisation after violent clash over Voice voting”   https://thenewdaily.com.au/news/politics/australian-politics/2023/10/10/anthony-albanese-uluru-yes-vote/   
• “Constitutional expert believes Voice vote could be the last referendum held in Australia”   https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-10-13/expert-believes-voice-could-be-last-referendum/102970978  
  

Neutral matters: 

• “The Voice reveals the urgent need for truth reforms”   https://theaimn.com/the-voice-reveals-the-urgent-need-for-truth-reforms/   and this was known when they made irresponsible decision back in Feb   

• “Whatever the voice vote’s result, Australia has a racism problem we must tackle”   https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2023/oct/06/whatever-the-voice-votes-result-australia-has-a-racism-problem-we-must-tackle  
  

• “As vote nears, ‘horrific racism’ mars Australian Voice referendum campaign”   https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/10/6/as-vote-nears-horrific-racism-mars-australian-voice-referendum-campaign  
  

• “Michael Pascoe: Lies Boomers were told at school explain the Voice’s journey to oblivion”   https://thenewdaily.com.au/opinion/2023/10/07/michael-pascoe-boomers-education-lies/    
  
• the outcome of the referendum will have an impact on Australia’s international standing no matter what the result is: a Yes outcome will improve our standing, a No outcome will make our reputation worse   https://theconversation.com/how-might-the-first-nations-voice-to-parliament-referendum-affect-australias-international-reputation-213764   
• answering questions   https://theconversation.com/your-questions-answered-on-the-voice-to-parliament-200818   
  

• “The long history of Liberal innovation – and failure – on Indigenous policy”   https://thenewdaily.com.au/news/politics/2023/10/12/liberal-party-voice-no/  
  

More amathia from the Anti-YES lot - including commentary on that:

• “No good reason to vote “[Anti-YES]” ”   https://independentaustralia.net/politics/politics-display/no-good-reason-to-vote-no,17958    
• “Lidia Thorpe responds to neo-Nazi video threats”   https://nit.com.au/05-10-2023/7979/lidia-thorpe-responds-to-neo-nazi-video-threats    
• “fact-checking the seven biggest pieces of misinformation pushed by the no side”   https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2023/oct/12/indigenous-voice-to-parliament-referendum-misinformation-fact-checked  
  
• ridiculous claims about electoral fraud   https://thenewdaily.com.au/news/politics/2023/10/05/electoral-fraud-senator-claim/   
• Anti-YES is dominating amongst some sections of Chinese people in Australia   https://theconversation.com/no-campaign-is-dominating-the-voice-debate-among-chinese-australians-on-wechat-new-research-214383   
• “Palmer fails last-minute legal challenge to referendum”   https://nit.com.au/09-10-2023/8037/palmer-fails-last-minute-legal-challenge-to-referendum   
• “Linda Burney demands Peter Dutton apologise for comments on late Indigenous leader Yunupingu”   https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2023/oct/10/linda-burney-demands-peter-dutton-apologise-for-comments-on-late-indigenous-leader-yunupingu  
  

• “Ken Wyatt accuses Liberals and Peter Dutton of creating ‘fear and division’ over voice”   https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2023/oct/13/voice-referendum-2023-ken-wyatt-accuses-peter-dutton-fear-and-division  
  

• “Revealed: the secretive rightwing firm providing ‘clout’ for voice no campaign”   https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2023/oct/13/revealed-the-secretive-rightwing-firm-providing-clout-for-voice-no-campaign  
  

Because of the violence and abuse being shown by right wing extremists on this and other issues, my family is making plans to ensure our voting Yes will be as safe as possible.

 

Assumptions / basis 

In writing this, I have assumed / started from the following: 

• this blog states quite clearly that it is about political and human rights matters, including lived experience of problems, and thus I will assume readers are reasonable people who have noted the content warning in the post header;

Possible flaws 

Where I can, I will try to highlight possible flaws / issues you should consider:

• there may be flawed logical arguments in the above: to find out more about such flaws and thinking generally, I recommend Brendan  Myers’ free online course “Clear and Present Thinking”; 
  
• I could be wrong - so keep your thinking caps on, and make up your own minds for yourself.
  

 

If they are of any use of interest, the activism information links from my former news posts are available in this post. 

 

If you appreciated this post, please consider promoting it - there are some links below.

Vote Yes for the Voice in Australia.  

Finally, remember: we need to be more human being rather than human doing.