This week I received an email from Mandy Nolan and Catherine Cusack inviting me to a ‘yes on the beach’ at Brunswick Heads. I replied that, as a supporter of the Voice, on the Richmond volunteer database, I felt conflicted about attending. I do not want campaigning for the Voice to be tainted by partisan politics.
Thinking that was the last I would hear of it, I have been pleasantly surprised that another volunteer has taken the trouble to send two follow-up replies. The first assured me that the event was not part of The Greens’ campaigning, just that Mandy Nolan is the Richmond for ‘Yes’ regional organiser.
Replying with my misgivings about this I received an assurance that the Richmond for ‘Yes’ lead organisers come from across the political spectrum – Catherine Cusack, former NSW Liberal Party MP; Asren Pugh, Labor party; and Mandy Nolan, Greens.
Pardon some cynicism but didn’t Catherine Cusack resign from parliament and didn’t she support Mandy Nolan in the 2022 election? If so, is it representative of a political spectrum? Further, I have not witnessed Asren Pugh taking on a high profile in the local campaign.
I certainly feel conflicted about expressing my concerns in this way – I definitely don’t want to reduce local support for the Voice. This letter, if it appears, won’t deter anyone else attending on Sunday and I hope it’s a success (for the ‘Yes’ cause!). I feel really disturbed about being presented with this unnecessary dilemma.
I’ll be interested to see how any reporting of the event in The Echo is treated.
For four decades The Echo has printed the stories some people loved, some people hated, and some pretended not to read. If you want us to keep telling the truth, the real truth, not the sugar-coated version. We’ll need your support to keep the presses rolling. 
