From devastation comes determination 

Let’s get the disclosure out of the way early. 

I was one of the 60,000 ‘Yes’ volunteers who set up stalls, handed out leaflets, and helped the campaign create a local presence and profile. 

Mostly, the volunteering was joyful, and it deepened connections with local Indigenous and non-Indigenous people alike. 

I respectfully engaged with those uncertain how to vote, all in the generous spirit of the Uluru statement, which offered the chance to walk together on the road to reconciliation.  

There were even grim attempts at humour on the campaign trail. 

As I was handing out ‘Yes’ material at the polling booth last Saturday, a middle-aged man politely declined a leaflet, looked me in the eye, and said earnestly: ‘I’m with Telstra’.  

It took me a moment to realise the ‘No’ voter had his tongue in his cheek, and wasn’t actually employed by a telecoms company. 

The resounding success of the ‘No’ vote is of course no joke. 

As Echo readers would be acutely aware, for many Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders, the referendum result has brought disappointment and devastation. 

‘It’s a sad loss for all involved’, says Charline Emzin-Boyd, Bundjalung woman and the state field officer who helped lead the ‘Yes’ campaign in this region. 

‘The enormity of the heartbreak and loss is overwhelming’.

Analysing the strategic errors of the ‘Yes’ campaign, or problems with the original referendum question, is valuable, but beyond the aim of this column. 

There are plenty of people raking over the mistakes and missteps of the campaign, including those who didn’t lift a finger to help it succeed. 

Similarly, there are others more qualified than I who can identify and expose some of the dirty political tricks employed by elements within the ‘No’ campaign, including the fateful decision to kill off bipartisanship.  

What’s most pressing now is finding ways Australia can help inoculate itself against the tactical use of disinformation in the future. 

‘Disinformation’ is something deliberately designed to deceive, and it clearly stoked fears that help deliver the huge ‘No’ vote. 

Two-thirds wrote ‘Yes’

Before the prescription though, let’s take a moment to note that around two-thirds of voters across this Byron Shire wrote ‘Yes’ on their ballot papers – according to results from the Australian Electoral Commission (AEC).

In Brunswick Heads ‘Yes’ won 62 per cent. Ocean Shores and Lennox were 63 per cent. Byron and Mullumbimby, 65 per cent, and Bangalow, 68 per cent. 

Small booths in Coorabell, Durrumbul, Ewingsdale, Suffolk Park and Federal hit around 70 per cent for ‘Yes’. 

‘I reflect on the thousands of people who have worked so tirelessly through this campaign’, Charline Emzin-Boyd told The Echo, offering congratulations to the ‘Yes’ volunteers, locally and across the nation.  

‘I am absolutely blessed to have met them and will continue to have connections to them. They should be proud we fought so hard.’

While the ‘Yes’ vote was only 40 per cent nationally, a few electorates pushed to 60 per cent or more. 

One was Kooyong in Melbourne, the seat held by conservatives since federation, and won by a Teal independent in the 2022 federal election. 

As others are observing, the success of Peter Dutton’s ‘No’ advocacy may not help him to win back those critical seats the Liberal party lost to the Teals last year. 

Modest proposals

For me, there are three key reforms that could help improve the quality of Australia’s political discourse and make it easier to have more rational debate about much-needed change.

First, the Commonwealth could introduce ‘truth in political advertising’ laws, creating big fines for deliberately making misleading claims, like the ‘land grab’ lies. South Australia already has a workable model, and the Australian Capital Territory recently adopted it. 

Second, our school system could develop strong curricula to help students navigate the new world of digital disinformation, bringing multiple benefits for our democracy. 

For almost a decade, Finland has had specific curricula to help primary school students identify fake news. 

What’s more, in Finland’s education system, promoting critical skills to deal with digital disinformation is a core part of the entire national curriculum.  

Third, and much harder to achieve, is tougher regulation of media new and old, to reduce the concentration of media ownership and the anti-democratic tendencies of monopolies. Think Murdoch, and some of those hip tech billionaires.

For Bundjalung woman, Charline Emzin-Boyd, it’s too early to plan the next steps on the walk to reconciliation, but her resilience is rock-hard.  

‘We will take time to process this’ says Charline, ‘but we will get back up and continue to fight for our rights and justice, for the next generations.’

♦ Dr Ray Moynihan was one of the 60,000 strong ‘Yes’ volunteers.