Whatever the outcome of this election, young people will inherit it

I had more questions than answers, and with it, feelings of nervousness. I was concerned that the behaviour of politicians during the Voice Referendum set the new standard. Where lies were normalised, through misinformation and campaigns riding on the strategic utilisation of disinformation, and with it, the inciting of division. Where it was no longer about the people or what was best for the nation, but rather, political point scoring. And most concerning, that we, First Nations peoples, would yet again be left behind and forgotten about.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people are well acquainted with the experience of our matters being up for political grabs and used as a political football. It is why Indigenous Affairs, even where there have been good intentions, has ultimately failed to achieve what it has set out to do. Peter Dutton managed to kick off the match this time round with his distraction about not standing beside the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander flags if elected as Prime Minister. Whilst I think that says a lot about his vision of ‘Australia’, and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples’ place in it, I would’ve much preferred he had taken a practical approach and informed the Australian people of what the Liberal Party’s plan is for Indigenous Affairs and to address the gap post referendum. Particularly since the Liberal Party, alongside the Nationals, the One Nation Party and others like Senator Lidia Thorpe, ultimately succeeded in their campaign for ‘no’ to meaningful constitutional recognition of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and substantial structural reform through a Voice to Parliament.

Actors of the ‘No’ campaigns crushed the hopes and dreams of a majority of First Nations people to finally be positively recognised in Australia’s founding document that originally excluded us, and to have a guaranteed seat at the table and say on matters that affect us – the right to political participation. Voting statistics reveal over 80% of First Nations people said Yes to the Voice, with more than 85% of remote communities voting Yes and some polling booths recording over 90% voting in support of the Voice proposal. It is no coincidence that these are the people that would have stood to gain the most from having their voices heard on matters facing their communities, when they are so consistently ignored by political decision makers.

Fast-forward to the 2025 Federal Election campaign, when asked by David Speers about what their plans are for Indigenous Affairs policy in the second debate, Anthony Albanese and Peter Dutton managed to be on a unity ticket. Both admitted that the current situation of Indigenous Affairs in this country, notably the Closing the Gap statistics, is heartbreaking. But we don’t want your sympathy Prime Minister and Opposition leader – we want leadership that is willing to work with and listen to First Nations peoples and our communities, and act. We have the solutions. We want power sharing and self-determination. We want recognition, rights and to belong. We want to thrive, not merely survive. This is what the Voice would have helped achieve.

The Voice proposal was about a bottom-up approach, at its core is the right to political participation as set out in the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. It is the proposal put forward by the First Nations delegates of the 2016/17 Referendum Council led Regional Dialogues process, in response to the powerlessness and voicelessness experienced in their communities.

Politicians would have heard from community members themselves about the real-life issues facing Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities right across the continent, but more importantly, solutions. It’s clear that those who currently wield the power in Indigenous Affairs – politicians, Ministers, bureaucrats and contractors who are bound to governments for funding – don’t know our communities and obviously don’t have the solutions. This is evidenced by the decades of significant dollars being directed to Indigenous Affairs policy and programs, with little to no results to show for it. Whilst we remain voiceless and without agency, watching from the sidelines. Something needs to change! Sympathy and feelings of heartbreak and devastation isn’t going to change anything. Structural reform however, will!

Nonetheless, post-referendum, commitment to structural reform across the political spectrum has been scarce, if not non-existent. It is no secret that most politicians and many Australians think that we should just move on. I suppose they think we had our chance. The Australian people made a decision and that should be respected, they say. Putting aside the question of whether that decision was ill-informed, Australians did not vote on the Uluru Statement from the Heart. Australians did not vote on Truth or Treaty. And Australians didn’t vote on a legislated Voice.

They voted on a single constitutional proposal. A constitutionally enshrined Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice to Parliament.

Despite this, since the referendum we have seen politicians extend the failed vote to other non-constitutional Indigenous policy matters. It seems that the referendum result is being used as an excuse not to act on meaningful change for First Nations peoples in this country, and at its worst, weaponised to push back on the gains that have been achieved, including those symbolic in nature.

So where does that leave us? Well put simply, the need for a Voice and structural reform doesn’t go away because of the failed referendum.

The expectation on First Nations peoples and our allies to move on from the ask of structural reform through a Voice and meaningful constitutional recognition is an unfair one. It is bizarre really, considering other failed referenda get another go without the same evaluation – whether it be four-year terms or the republic question. So why is it different for meaningful constitutional recognition through a Voice to Parliament? A proposal overwhelmingly supported by First Nations people and 6.2 million Australians.

Since the referendum we have seen further evidence of why a Voice is needed now more than ever. Closing the Gap Reports declare the current state of progress (or lack thereof), with only four out of the nineteen CTG targets on track to being met. Productivity Commission Reports into the review of the National Agreement on Closing the Gap are damning. These reports are telling that things are getting worse for First Nations people in this country. We have also seen the Federal Government’s Expert Panel assembled to conduct a rapid review into preventing violence against women, completely absent of First Nations women’s voices. This is disconcerting considering First Nations women are 33 times more likely to be hospitalised for injuries related to family violence and six times more likely to die in comparison to non-Indigenous women. And the situation is catastrophic for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children, who are 27 times more likely to be in detention compared to non-Indigenous youth, with the Northern Territory, Queensland and Victoria recently implementing laws and policies that will result in even more of our children in the criminal legal system and prisons, including at adult facilities. It is therefore no surprise that Australian governments are not on track to meet the nationally agreed target for reducing the incarceration rate of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children by 2031.

So, we must stay the course. Systemic change doesn’t happen overnight. Movements and advocacy for meaningful and substantial law reform is tireless and takes years, decades or even more! One failed referendum attempt should not be the reason we hang up our boots. Sure, we lost the grand final and it was devastating at the time – but that shouldn’t stop us from playing next season.

However, we do find ourselves heading into this Federal Election with neither major party committed to structural reform. Whilst our young people are suffering the dire statistics of youth suicide, incarceration, child removal and out of home care to name a few. What is the vision for our future? Because the current propositions, Labor’s ‘economic empowerment’ and trickle down economics or the Liberal’s suggestion that more inquiries and audits will fix everything, just aren’t going to cut it.

‘Economic empowerment’ has been Indigenous Affairs policy for close to two decades. It hasn’t closed the gap. And if the Leader of the Opposition Peter Dutton and Shadow Minister for Indigenous Affairs, Jacinta Price, really want accountability regarding the significant funds being directed to Indigenous programs, a Voice would’ve addressed this.

Peter Dutton argues that there must be a “focus on practical action for Indigenous Australians”, whilst Senator Price consistently criticises the Labor Government for not listening to people on the ground in rural and regional communities. Yet they led a ruthless campaign against the one real practical proposal that would have addressed both of these matters – a Voice. So, what exactly are they proposing? Government inquiries, royal commissions, audits… again. That’s not practical action. That’s more of the same, it doesn’t require anything to be done differently.

If politicians and their parties are serious about closing the gap and addressing the ‘devastating’ statistics, they should reconsider their position in relation to structural reform, a Voice and more broadly, the Uluru Statement from the Heart reforms. Without this, they remain without a real vision for the way forward.

More of the same isn’t going to work. The status quo is terrifying for young Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. Our futures are on the line.

Whatever the election results, the most important thing is that with our allies, we stay true to the mandate of the Uluru Statement from the Heart. We must stay the path and not be deterred by the setbacks or lack of commitment and vision from politicians. We need our allies, the 6.2 million Australians who voted yes, to continue to lend their voices, walk with us and bring others along with us on this journey. This requires a peoples’ movement, taking our power back and protecting our democracy. We will continue to issue the Uluru Statement from the Heart and invite all Australians to walk with us in a movement of the Australian people for a better future.