I will be voting YES for The Voice. I lived and worked in the Northern Territory for 10 years and saw many impractical and wasteful programs rolled out by ‘Planet Canberra’ whereas the successful programs were invariably designed and developed BY community Elders - in partnership with the whitefella organisation/agency. Kim Mahood’s essays in her (2022) ‘Wandering with Intent’ give some enlightening accounts of this.
Designing a Voice that captures the diverse voices of the many remote, regional and urban communities will not be simple. I can understand that some Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people don’t trust in this so-called Voice or perhaps want more. But for non-Indigneous people, I firmly believe voting YES is the right thing to do. The Uluru Statement from the Heart was a long consultative process by First Nations Peoples and they have asked for a Voice.
It is important for all of us - whether Indigenous or non-Indigenous - that after more than 200 years, we finally say to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, “YES, we want you to be truly and properly recognised as the First Peoples of this Country and to have a say in the policies and programs that affect you”. I feel a looming dread of how numb and shamed I will feel if the answer is “NO”. I feel utterly gutted just to think of it.
It is important for all of us - whether Indigenous or non-Indigenous - that after more than 200 years, we finally say to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, “YES, we want you to be truly and properly recognised as the First Peoples of this Country and to have a say in the policies and programs that affect you”. I feel a looming dread of how numb and shamed I will feel if the answer is “NO”. I feel utterly gutted just to think of it.