No is only way to vote

l THE NO SIDE

COALITION Indigenous Australians spokeswoman Senator Jacinta Nampijinpa Price.

Why should people vote no at the Voice to Parliament referendum?

Australians should say no to being divided by race in our Constitution. This massive change would divide Australians along the lines of race. Based on nothing more than heritage, it would give one group of Australians an extra say on government policy.

What will be the downside if the referendum is successful?

Even pro-Voice legal experts have warned that if a yes vote is successful, the Voice body would have broad reach to insert itself into any issue it deems is relevant and challenge decisions it doesn’t agree with in the High Court. As one Voice advocate put it – “You won’t shut the Indigenous Voice to Parliament up.”

The thrust of the advertisement featuring Senator Price states that the referendum will divide us. Do you mean it will divide Australia or Indigenous people and families?

My family is a blended one and not all of us have Aboriginal ancestry. This huge change to the constitution would mean that we don’t all have the same rights before the law. Some of us would be deemed in need of an extra say on government policy based on nothing more than our racial background. It’s the same across the country, Australians will be divided based on nothing more than race.

If the Voice to Parliament is not the way to go, how should governments engage with Indigenous communities and people to ensure they feel they have a real say in future programs and decisions etc?

We need to lose this belief that all Indigenous Australians are facing the same challenges and issues and focus in on the areas where real disadvantage exists. It is incumbent upon our democratically elected representatives to do more to represent their communities. We need a forensic audit to be conducted into the current organisations, set reasonable outcome targets, and hold them accountable.

Final comments

There is a growing gap between Indigenous Australians who live in the cities and those living in remote and very remote Australia. They’re facing different issues, different challenges, and different struggles. The best way to help them is not to focus on a single entity in Canberra, but to work within the extensive framework of existing organisations already in communities.

Voice To Parliament Community Information Sessions

atherton Friday 2 June, 6:00 pm - 8:00 pm, Tablelands Regional Council Coordination Centre, 15 vernon Street Atherton cooktown Tuesday 6 June, 6:00 pm - 8:00 pm, Cooktown Shire Hall, 42 Helen Street Cooktown mossman Wednesday 7 June, 6:00 pm - 8:00 pm, Mossman Town Hall, Mill Street, Mossman Qld 4873 port douglas Thursday 8 June, 6:30 pm - 8:00 pm, Port Douglas Town Hall, 13-29 Mowbray Street, Port Douglas Qld 4877 kuranda Friday 9 June, 6:00 pm - 8:00 pm, Kuranda CWA Hall, 20 Thongon Street, Kuranda innisfail Saturday 10 June, 10:00 am - 12:00 pm, Shire Hall Concert Hall, 70 Rankin Street Innisfail