Put another way, Australians were asked whether they supported the nation taking a major step towards righting the wrongs of its past, and beginning to end the torment of First Nations peoples’ powerlessness in their own Country. Sadly, the answer was no.
As the post-Referendum dust settles, a few truths seem to be materialising through analysis of the Referendum results, subsequent media coverage, and ongoing voter polling. For one, many Australians have a long way to go in their understanding of our nation’s settler colonial past and the impact that systemic racism and unconscious racial bias has on First Nations peoples in Australia to this day. For another, much less the results reflecting the ‘will of the people’, the misinformation and disinformation and dirty tactics rolled out by the No Campaign, most certainly played a critical role in the outcome. Finally, in respect of the No vote, putting aside the minority of Australians that may have understood the Referendum proposal and voted no on what they felt were legitimate bases, it seems that most Australians that voted no, simply did not understand what they were voting on. For example, it is likely that the majority of people that went to the voting booths were almost completely unaware of the existence of the Uluru Statement of the Heart (Voice, Treaty, Truth), which was the entire basis of the Referendum proposal. Mix a lack of awareness of the Uluru Statement and what I feel was limited public discourse on the true nature and substance of the proposal, with the toxic mis and disinformation of the ‘No’ campaign, and it is no surprise that most punters were hoodwinked by the ‘if you don’t know, vote no’ garble.
To complement my reflections on the Referendum 12 months on, I thought it would be useful to provide an overview of some of the key headlines and events that have happened in First Nations affairs in Australia over the past year. Here’s the good, the bad and the downright ugly (as well as some significant others):
The good
The bad
The ugly
Significant others
As you can see, it has been a bumpy road in the year since the Referendum. Yet despite the many and varied roadblocks that have been thrown at First Nations peoples on the continued journey to justice for our people, we will not give up – we owe this to our ancestors, our Elders, our children, and we owe it to ourselves.
On the above, I am pleased to say that I write these words myself, in a state of cautious optimism, tipping towards excitement even. On Sunday evening, 13 October 2024, almost one year to the day, I found myself embracing the full spectrum of emotions as I lay next to my beautiful six year old son while he drifted off to sleep after a massive day of birthday festivities, and as I listened to the Uluru Dialogues mob on a live webinar sharing their heartfelt thoughts on the Referendum – the result, the aftermath and most importantly, the road ahead. Of my kaleidoscope of feelings, the strongest by far were those of sadness (at the lost opportunity and the continuing plight of our people), of inspiration (on the back of powerful stories of joy, success and togetherness within the despair), of honour (to be sharing this planet with legends like Aunty Pat Anderson), and of fire (I could hear the lion roaring within… perhaps more than ever before). It is an exhausting journey, yet it reminds me of what is most important; I must continue fighting for my future, my children’s future, the future of my communities and the future and prosperity of the entire nation.
Having started the week with a full tank of petrol, I was even further energised when making my way to a commuter train this morning wearing my ‘Voice, Treaty, Truth’ shirt, and I was intercepted by an elderly gentleman. The stranger placed his hand on my shoulder and said in earnest to me, “I’m with you guys, it must be a sad day for you today, I’m sorry, the nation got it wrong”. We embraced momentarily, I thanked the gentleman and I quickly walked away so I wasn’t shamed by the tears welling in my eyes. He cannot possibly understand what that act meant to me… this moment of humility will carry with me for years to come.
Australia did get it wrong on 14 October 2023, however, I must trust that with an unwavering commitment to fighting for justice for my people, the next time Australians are given the power to influence the terms of our people’s well-being… we won’t make the same mistake.
Australia’s colonial history has too much hurt, oppression and injustice to warrant celebration without significant pause. On no day is this fact more salient than 26th January each year. All Australians must have one eye on the past, doing all we can to shed light on the truth and reality of our shared history (and the ongoing impacts of this history). With the other eye, we must be looking towards the future, at which point I urge all Australians to ‘stay true to Uluru’ (Voice, Treaty, Truth). Together, we will eventually create a shared future that we can all be openly and unquestionably proud of.