The victorious ‘No’ camp is oddly reluctant to examine the roots of its cruel snub to our First Nations peoples. More ink has been expended on how badly the ‘Yes’ campaign was managed, and how ill-advised Albanese was to propose it at all.
But the Voice to Parliament was an election promise and only destined to fail when Dutton realised he could deal the government a rare defeat.
When such well-loved organisations as BHP and Qantas publicised their support, along with various sporting bodies and celebrities, failure was assured, because ‘Yes’ could be equated with ‘Elite’.
On the other hand, the broad church of the ‘No’ encompassed people against any change in the Constitution, people against special treatment for the Indigenous population, and people against anything proposed by a Labor government.
Significantly, it included all the conspiracy theorists of the last few years.
The conduct of the two campaigns was also very different. The ‘Yes’ movement was in general very polite, believing that contrary opinions are not swayed by critical language, but only by sweet reason.
This lack of energy from the Voice supporters gave the ‘No’ alliance room to be brutally careless of the truth and to invent any number of false narratives evoking fear and hatred. In Dutton’s whatever-it-takes politics we have entered a period of ‘post-truth’ reality, where emotion trumps reason.
Lurking behind all the post-mortem discussions of the referendum is of course the disturbing question: ‘To what extent were the sixty per cent of Australians who voted in the negative motivated by racism?’
The question certainly disturbs the sixty per cent.
There is such a lot of defensive commentary arguing that racism was not involved in the result that you might wonder if there is an attempt going on to rewrite history.
Gaslighting the public
No doubt some people were simply deceived by the gaslighting of the far right. Some may have voted ‘No’ because they wanted something better for Indigenous people than simply a voice to parliament. Some objected in principle to such a voice, arguing that it would be wrong to allow one group special access to lawmakers, overlooking the special access industrial lobbyists already have.
Racist or not, it was dishearteningly easy for people to turn their backs on the simple request for recognition. The massacres and dispossessions all happened in the past and we, personally, were not involved and therefore need feel no responsibility.
After all, what possible connection could those historical events have with our lives today? We only inherited the plantation; it wasn’t us who put those people in chains.
Most people are not caricature racists like Dutton, but they simply don’t care. And when entreated to care they closed ranks in tribal solidarity against perceived elites telling them what to do, much like Trump and Brexit voters.
In the end it was probably ‘don’t know and don’t care’ that sank the referendum, rather than the active malignancy of the ‘No’ leaders. Nevertheless, rejecting the just and generous Uluru Statement from the Heart cannot be seen as anything but callous, and will remain a low point in Australian history.
David Lovejoy, Echo co-founder
Mr Dutton is far from being racist. Over 60% of the nation voted NO as the lazy Albo thumbed his nose at them, it wasn’t a vote against the aboriginal people it was a resounding No to Albo and his incompetent government, …. As soon as labor commenced calling people stupid for wanting to know the full details and large corporations, sporting clubs, charity’s and the like jumped on board probably expecting favours in the future from this joke of a government things started heading south very quickly, Albo didn’t bring the little people along with him respectfully and his ministers are mediocre to say the least. The government hasn’t learned one lesson from this embarrassing defeat and continue on with their arrogant ways…..
Gregrrrrrrr stop making up facts like calling people stupid. Compare the agenda and number of problems solved or currently trying to resolve after a decade of a really lazy coalition government. Robo debt, ndis, budget deficit, current high court issue on detention( yes a coalition law thrown out by the high court), 100000 people arriving by air as asylum seekers whilst they banged on about boats, energy policies continually changing with no actual action except the fantasy snowy 2 project,; do you want to add more because the list is pretty long. Anyway mediocre ministers let’s see trudge, Taylor, ley, Morrison and his what 9 ministries they were mediocre big time.your arrogance shows in the comment” little people” . Maybe spend the break chilling out and actually assessing why you voted no because of your fear of missing out. Well they made me feel better!
The Yes campaign never called no voters a single pejorative, and never assigned any malice to us. They were as pure and bright as the light from a gas lamp.
And here we have it.. all the aggression, vindictiveness and denial of truths to prove the veracity of this article.
Thanks you D Lovejoy, enlightening and accurate as usual
Righteous anger is building among the populus.
If some were motivated by the prospect of a protest vote against the government, rather than what was best for the country and just for First Nations people, it indicates how truly stupid they are and unworthy of franchise.
They were Dutton and co’s willing dupes. I don’t know who these “little people” are but they were all born with a brain and had access to education. We need a new campaign in this country, aimed at its cognitive Norm couch potatoes.
Thought we made it clear that we were sending a message to the govt over policies that weren’t in the best interests of the country. We were working to inform the couch potatoes, thus we won.
‘Australia’, not for turning in keeping First Nations People coming last.
Then why do they keep getting a free rid to the front of the que?
Christian, ….keep getting a free rid (sic) to the front of the que?, yes we mustn’t get them anywhere near the front of the cue on any of those Closing the Gap targets.
And guess what Christian, we doing a stonking great job fro over 200 years, keeping First Nations People right where they are….L A S T.
You must not be comparing to how they lived before we arrived. If they still lived like that, you lot would demand we gave them the benefits of our civilisation, even if we had never left Europe, and the Aboriginals had never seen outsiders. You would cry to see them living the way they did. You would be outraged in fact.
The Editor didn’t miss anything with that spray.
It shows a lack of connection with the majority of Australians, methinks,
Simply ,call them racists.
Well done!
Australians are left facing the shocking reality of its woeful majority’s lack of social interest and awareness of its First peoples.
David Marr likens the referendum result as a blatant continuation and the latest round in this country’s history against its First peoples.
The remaining 40% of caring, responsible and genuinely respectful Yes voters, can only help to ensure that the Uluru Statement from the Heart, is honoured in time, via other avenues.
Yes voters did not vote Yes out of benevolence. It was self-interest.
In 1964 BHP negotiated the Groote Eylandt Manganese mining agreement with the Warndilyagwa people of Groote Eylandt. It was a radical agreement that included royalties, equal pay and training. Radical stuff for the time. It was also a model for Liberal prime minister Malcolm Frazer’s radical land rights legislation. It is also worth noting that John Howard introduced the first elected voice. However, he quite rightly shut it down when it turned out to be a disaster. Albanese’s refusal to explain what he was going to do to avoid the problems encountered by John Howard and how small groups like the 1400 Enindilyagwa speakers of Groote Eylandt were going to any get real representation. Albanese should have got on and done what he thought should be done. Now he is a crippled prime minister when it comes to Aboriginal policy.
“The ‘Yes’ movement was in general very polite, ” yeah, and I have fairies in the bottom of my garden too.
Come on, get real ! As you have David, the yes campaign, ( who were advocating for a totally racist bias in Australia’s fundamental legal system “the simple request for recognition” ), were screaming blue murder that anyone should question the idiotic wish-list from Ayers Rock and accusing any opposition of being racist.
There were threats of violent recriminations from Aboriginal activists to the very last. The question of racism is Idiotic in the extreme when the referendum was about changing the law to benefit a group of a particular RACE.
Sober up David. G”)
Your wondering why we aren’t spending any time at the moment figuring out why we choose to vote No? We did that before we voted. It’s you lot that still don’t understand, because you don’t want to understand.
If it was perceived as a vote of NO against Albo and the Federal Labour government, then why weren’t those who voted NO able to rise above the politics and make a positive statement for indigenous people having a say regarding matters that effect them??? Perhaps they don’t really care about the disadvantages experienced by aboriginal people! Could this be racist???
What disadvantage?
I don’t think anyone won this referendum, I believe it was a defeat for the entire nation. Especially those that were fooled into voting No by a stream of orchestrated and completely corrupted media disinformation. The No vote result is a perfect example of why we should have an enquiry into the media and introduce truth in advertising in media and politics. As reports appear of the No vote refusing all interviews, Jacinta Price refused 52 interview requests alone, we can see how manipulated the No vote message was and how the distraction, misinformation, disinformation and outright lies worked. Probably up to 60 % of the population were refused any real factual information only misinformation. The media was so manipulated, I spoke to many people involved in the Yes vote that wrote comments to papers and right wing bias LNP rang talkback radio that were refused, the later abused by radio hosts and listeners. All that was allowed was No vote misinformation 24/7 it was like a water boarding torture, more than brainwashing. While much was said about the usual predictable racist element out there hiding in the shadows.
Probably the most disturbing thing was a hard core of far right religious fundamentalists “wearing crosses” and Trump supporting anti vaccine conspiracy cookers, mobilised by the shadowy secretive Dutton No vote organisers, in this and many other electorates?
We can see the importation of Trump like USA Republican crazy virus infecting our country. The media even refused the many “Liberals for Yes”, a say.
It was by far the most abusive, racists and frightening political campaign, I have ever seen in this country. Yes vote volunteers, especially females were actually scared to go near the No vote volunteers and some of the booths?
It’s a sign of things to come and will now be used by the LNP in all future campaigns, because the bias media will allow it and thats what must be changed. No more lies in the media!
We frightened you? Sweet.
You are right Mr Tweed, in fact the whole country lost it, but the Aboriginal community must also bear some of the blame, as a whole they were not unified and didn’t Price and Mundine play merry hell with that. Unless there is broad agreement about any change to the constitution a referendum is doomed to fail, especially in the modern world of social media and misinformation.
You’re wondering why we aren’t spending any time at the moment figuring out why we choose to vote No? We did that before we voted. It’s you lot that still don’t understand, because you don’t want to understand.
Well stated David, it is truly frightening just how easily 60% majority support for the Voice was so easily eroded to 60% against by a relentless campaign of misinformation and division. Demolition Dutton may or may not be a racist, but he certainly is a political opportunist of the worst kind, prepared to do anything to trash the country, in his unrealistic blind quest to damage the Albanese Govt, the division amongst Aboriginal people themselves certainly was another big factor in the Voice’s defeat and was played to the extreme by Price and Mundine who basically sold their souls to powerful vested interests, and have both now gone to ground, hopefully in disgrace but I wouldn’t bet on it.
Keith .. Albo could not even explain what he
Referred to as a “modest change ” to the
Voters.. 60% turnaround ? Not surprised
No details no deal …! Was Dutton wrong Keith
62% say otherwise… and while we are at it
Why has the Prime Minister not stood up
and explained to the country why 147
Non citizens..most of whom did not pass a
Character test …murderer’s..rapists..
Of children ..let loose onto our streets ? Weak ..
One term Albo ..
Not a lot to do with this topic (but you never let that stop you) but it was the high court Barrow, that put them on the streets. Do you want us to turn into a third rate dictatorship where the government ignores the rule of law?
You’ve had this explained to you before but refuse to let it sink in. Perhaps you could have expressed some of your selective outrage for those quietly released through the coalition years. No I didn’t know either – funnily enough I don’t think it made the news.
I’ve been trying to think of a suitable title for my “life be in it” style campaign for cognitive couch potatoes:
Thinking, be in it? Use it or lose it? Try contemplation for your nation?
Life be in it Lizardbreath ? When was the last time you became breathless from exercising !
Life be in it “Norm ” use it or lose it .
Labor are on the nose as are your comments above .. !
Rudeness is no riposte! Apart from being totally irrelevant, your reflections on my fitness are pure assumption, not founded on any knowledge or evidence. A bit like much you write.
I’d give you a good race around the block Barrow, either physically 🏃♂️ or cognitively any day.
Just for example – I don’t think going from 60/40 to 40/60 is a 60% turnaround 🤔
So Barrow, Australia has never ever released a convicted Murderer, Rapist etc from prison after they’ve served their prison sentence?
Weak, is Dutton, for whipping up hate and hysteria, when he knows how our Justice System works.
Weak, is the fool who swallow’s Dutton’s hate and hysteria, when they know how our Justice System works.
A smart person, who actually cared about the issue not politics, would not engage in such a pathetic dummy spit.
They would genuinely want to know why the people said no, to learn something.
When non-Aboriginal Australia is constantly excluded by Aboriginal Australia and governments from all matter of things – jobs, social housing opportunities, legal assistance, National Parks, etc – and their attempts to have their voice heard, about the impacts of this, just fall on deaf ears (the “don’t know, don’t care” attitude you describe), the people affected will not be enticed to vote for the voice of those impacting them to be magnified.
Perhaps think about this reality – it is central to understanding why the referendum failed and what needs to be done to make Australia more united again: create equality under law for Australians of all races
Rod, what are you getting so worked up about?, settle down. I was stating a few facts maatteee, if you don’t like them, well lump them. Tell your story walking old sport.
He gets cranky when his back itches.
Poor lefty’s, still can’t accept the umpires decision. People were condemned for asking for more information and detail, a very inconvenient fact the Yes side still denies, they were told go find out the information however no one could tell people where the information was hidden, the truth being it was never out there. This was a severe lesson for the Albo government and his corporate buddies, the ordinary majority are not stupid, they will not be spoken down to by anyone particularly Albo, they will never try to walk on the normal majority again, or will they. They are very slow learners. Albo by his actions still treats the population like fools when in actual fact we know whom the fools are.
Oh dear Greg seriously, a serial whinger and moaner like yourself who absolutely refuses to even acknowledge that the Albanese Govt was legitimately elected, lecturing someone about accepting the umpire’s decision, if that’s not the pot calling the kettle black nothing is, LOL.
KD, I have no problem with a government being elected by the people, this government only won with the greens, teals preferences so don’t think they have a legitimate mandate on anything, the people have spoken so be it. As far as the referendum goes Albo lost the plot before, during and after the loss. You haven’t addressed the reasons for his failure, all you do is try to cover up his utter incompetence. Albo and his deadhead front bench are arrogant to the extreme.
They didn’t get in on Teals preferences, the Teals largely got in themselves, perhaps with the help of some Labor preferences.
Greg, I really don’t think that righty’s like you are the best people to be lecturing someone else on arrogance, but merry Christmas anyway.
Hey Rod, please explain. How does one make up facts?, do tell.
It’s ironic Huge, get a sense of humour!
KD, I sincerely wish you and yours all the very best for Christmas. We will resume sparring in the new year. Cheers.
I wish you the same Mr Jarse.