GRASSROOTS ‘NO’ CAMPAIGN CALLS FOR 'MORE THAN JUST A VOICE'
BY GERARD MAZZA
Marianne Headland Mackay. Credit: Supplied.
Grassroots campaigners for a ‘no’ vote in the Voice to Parliament referendum say the proposed constitutional changes won’t make a difference to the lives of Aboriginal people.
The Black Peoples Union will hold protest rallies demanding ‘more than just a Voice’ in Brisbane, Canberra, and Melbourne this weekend.
"We demand real change instead of tokenistic policy that falls short of addressing the root causes of the ongoing injustices and inequalities experienced by First Nations people around the continent,” Black Peoples Union Secretary Dan Roe said in a statement.
“The government won't even listen to the advice from it's own inquiries and commissions. What makes you think it will listen to an advisory body?”
Whadjuk Noongar activist Marianne Headland Mackay told Ngaarda Media she supported the rallies because the Voice was only a “tokenistic and symbolic gesture” from government.
She said the Voice would only offer advice to government and have no real power.
‘‘We already have national bodies that advise government at the moment, and we’re not being heard now, so what’s the difference if it’s enshrined in the constitution?” she said.
Ms Mackay said truth-telling and treaty should come before constitutional change.
“[The government] need to do the truth-telling process and admit their wrongs, and then they need to engage in treaty discussions with our people,” she said.
“Then anything that comes out of the treaty discussions can then be enshrined in a constitution that’s created for the wellbeing of all citizens in this country.”
Marianne Headland Mackay (centre) and other activists campaigned for ‘Treaty not Voice’ at this year’s Invasion Day rally in Boorloo (Perth). Credit: Supplied.
On Wednesday, Yawuru elder and Labor Senator Patrick Dodson defended the Voice from critics, telling the Senate it had the support of more than 80% of First Nations people.
He said the Voice to Parliament was the “missing piece” that will help improve the lives of Aboriginal people.
“Outcomes for our people are simply better when we have a say, have a choice and make decisions about our lives,” he said. “The Voice will do exactly that.”
Senator Dodson said that during recent consultations with Aboriginal people in parts of WA, including Broome, Port Hedland and Carnarvon, most people he spoke to supported the Voice, but he met some elders who opposed it.
“I want to say to such senior persons that they are entitled to their view, and that they are appreciated and respected for the contributions they have made to the country,” he said.