Yesterday the ‘YES’ campaign officially kicked off around the nation, launching on the first day of NAIDOC week.
Supporters gathered around the country to kick off a campaign to support YES for constitutional recognition and a voice to Parliament at the next referendum.
Around 30 Yes supporters in Byron Bay gathered at the lighthouse for the first ‘YES’ to hit Australia – in Brunswick Heads, around 80 YES supporters gathered on the beach to form a YES with their bodies.
Mullumbimby organiser for Richmond for YES Elia Haugh was thrilled by the turn out.
A huge show of support
‘It was amazing to launch the local YES campaign with such a huge show of support from all corners of our community. Thank you so much to everyone who came down to Brunswick Heads for our picnic and big YES on the beach – the energy was so positive, inspiring and ready for action!
‘This is a moment for us to come together as a community: to acknowledge the 65,000 years of continuous culture and connection to Country, to show we are ready to really listen to a First Nations Voice and voices, to offer our deep respect for elders past, present and future through action as well as words.’
Greens Candidate for the seat of Richmond Mandy Nolan, says that even Dutton’s former advisor on Voice, Liberal MP Julian Leeser, believed the Voice would be instrumental in closing the gap of better life outcomes between Indigenous people and the rest of the population.
Many ways to get involved
Elia Haugh said there are many ways to get involved in this campaign. ‘We will be holding a Yes Conversations workshop later this month, having stalls at markets and events, and coming together at Brunswick Beach again at 3pm on the first Sunday of every month until the referendum takes place.’
Sign up at yes23.com.au to get involved!
Aboriginal people make some of the best portraits, with deep country written in their faces.
The rest of us, are enormously privileged to be born into or migrated to Australia, with such close shoulder to shoulder access to their heritage.
Let us hope enough of the “No’s” amongst us, can see how heartless hurtful and disrespectful it would be not to evolve to a YES vote, in the precious little time left before the referendum, to redeem themselves from the horrors of bigotry, racism, paranoia and wanton ignorance.
This will be our ONLY chance.
I can’t imagine a more “un-Australian” act, as a No vote.
I thought the people on the beach spelt out VB
Need to improve your literacy Nobby!
Noob never learnt to read ‘Leftism’.