#aboriginal and torres strait islander voice

[luthienebonyx]

I've seen some misinformation spreading around tumblr about the Australian Voice referendum to be held this Saturday, 14 October 2023, so here are some actual facts about what it is and why Australians should PLEASE vote YES.

So, what is the referendum question?

The referendum question is about recognising Indigenous Australians in the Constitution, and setting up a body to be known as the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice, so that Indigenous representatives have the right to provide advice to government about decisions that affect Indigenous people.

Here’s the actual referendum question:

A Proposed Law: to alter the Constitution to recognise the First Peoples of Australia by establishing an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice. Do you approve this proposed alteration?

The new chapter and section to be added to the constitution are:

Chapter IX Recognition of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples

S 129 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice

In recognition of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as the First Peoples of Australia:

1. There shall be a body, to be called the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice;

2. The Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice may make representations to the Parliament and the Executive Government of the Commonwealth on matters relating to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples;

3. The Parliament shall, subject to this Constitution, have power to make laws with respect to matters relating to the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice, including its composition, functions, powers and procedures.

Source and more info

That’s it. That’s all it is.

The No campaign is spreading lies about the Voice, suggesting that it will somehow take rights or property away from non-Indigenous Australians. They’ve also been using social media - and some elements of mainstream media - to stir up fear and racism, using tactics with a vibe that will be all too familiar to our American friends who have lived through Trump, or our British friends who have been through Brexit.

Here are a few simple facts to counter some of the misinformation that's out there.

Why do we need a body like the Voice?

Indigenous people experience a level of disadvantage that applies to no other group of Australians. As the Prime Minister has said on numerous occasions, a young Indigenous man in this country today is more likely to go to jail than to go to university. Meanwhile, the periodic closing the gap reports show that Australian governments continue to fail in their aim for Indigenous Australians’ health and life expectancy to be equal to that of other Australians.

These sorts of outcomes are typical of a system that has always been about doing things to Indigenous people, rather than with them. Indigenous people need to be in the room when decisions are made about matters that affect them.

So yeah, we need an advisory body that has the ear of politicians. Seems simple enough, so why not just legislate it?

That’s the thing: we’ve already tried that.

We need an advisory body like the Voice to be enshrined in the Constitution because we’ve HAD advisory bodies before – bodies like the former Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Commission (ATSIC). ATSIC was abolished in 2005 by a government that was hostile to ATSIC’s aims – something that government could easily do since there was no obligation for a body like that to exist. Other similar bodies have gone the same way. 

Putting the Voice in the constitution means that it will always exist. The actual decision-making power continues to reside with our elected politicians, but having the Voice means that they will be obligated to listen to the perspective and suggestions of Indigenous representatives before they (the politicians) make decisions affecting Indigenous people.

The politicians will still have the power to legislate the details of how the Voice works, just like any other body set up under legislation - but once it's in the constitution, they don't get to decide whether it exists or not.

Where did the idea for the Voice come from?

Indigenous people have been calling for something like the Voice since the 1920s, but the current proposition originated in the Uluru Statement from the Heart. This is a petition created by Indigenous delegates to the First Nations National Constitutional Convention held at Uluru in 2017. The Uluru statement from the heart is only 439 words, but they’re very powerful words. Read it here

So if you hear the No campaign trying to say that the idea for the Voice comes from Canberra or from politicians: no, it doesn’t. It comes from Uluru, in central Australia, and it comes from a request by representatives of a large number of Indigenous people. The government is responding to that request by holding this referendum.

Do all Indigenous Australians support the Voice?

Have you ever known any group of people that share 100% support for anything? Of course there isn’t agreement by every single Indigenous person that this is the right way to proceed. HOWEVER, that said, polling shows that around 80% of Indigenous Australians  support the Voice, and of the remaining approximately 20%, many don’t support the Voice because they believe it doesn’t go far enough. Some want a treaty before anything else.

But you wouldn’t know that by the way the Australian media has reported the campaign.

I’m not going to repeat that No campaign slogan. If you’ve watched or read any reporting about this issue, you know the one I mean. The one that panders to ignorance and fear.

Instead, I’m just going to say: if you don’t know, FIND OUT. And then VOTE YES.

#auspol #the voice #aboriginal and torres strait islander voice #Australians PLEASE VOTE YES

[cinnamonchaos]

for anyone in Australia, please do some reading beyond just the No Campaign and conservative media! There is so so much misinformation about what The Voice actually is and what it does.

Also remember - there is no 'progressive no'. We may agree that the government hasn't done enough, that a treaty should come first, and so much more action is needed. But voting no is slamming the door shut. It's not progressives winning, it's conservatives and racists and self-serving politicians. A no vote isn't progressive, it won't encourage the government to do more. If you think that the Lib party wants a no result so they can implement a better alternative, you've been deceived. There is no 'no, but because I want more action and a treaty' option. The yes will be the indicator of this, but a no will be taken as 'no action is needed' and 'we don't believe we need to recognise our country's Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people'.

VOTE YES! 🖤💛❤️

#the voice referendum #indigenous voice to parliament #uluru statement #uluru statement from the heart #aboriginal and torres strait islander #First Nations Australia #australian politics #australian referendum 2023 #politics #voice to parliament

[bettygemma]

"Regardless of the date Australia Day is held, Australia in its current existence continues to perpetuate systems structurally designed to oppress. When our highest Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander rates aren’t in suicide, prisons and deaths in custody—then we may be a country worth celebrating. But until then, every day in this country is a day of survival. "

'8 things you need to know about Jan 26', Clothing the Gaps.

#going to spend time today thinking and listening to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander voices #January 26 #change the date #auspol

[totallyseiso]

Got a booklet in the mail that's all about the upcoming referendum, and one of the points for voting no is that voting yes could lead to a "dysfunctional government"

Bitch, this is Australia. We don't even have a functional government to begin with. The batshit-auspoll blog pretty much proves that

#im voting yes obviously #for non-australians the referendum is for including our native people in our government #basically it would change our constitution to require that aboriginal and torres strait islanders always have a voice in parliament #you can guess the main type of people who dont want indigenous australians to have a say in how the country is run

[ehlnofay]

fuck it I'm reblogging everything about the referendum here bc I barely do shit on my main blog and I'm Upset

#for context for any perplexed non-australians - #the country voted for an indigenous voice to parliament today that would enshrine an aboriginal and torres strait islander advisory body #in the constitution. there's been shithead misinformation campaigns about it for months. referendums so rarely go through #this one wasn't even close. no states had a yes result (only the ACT which is a territory and so doesn't count) #fucking embarrassing.

[chaos-but-im-tired]

This isn’t fair, Australia. We have failed to stand up for our people. We have listened to the views of people who campaigned for your ignorance and, in turn, your silence. Because that’s all that was. I hope you realise that one day.

‘If you don’t know, vote no’ is so wrong in a very particular way. If you don’t know, you fucking find out for yourself. You do not support people arguing for your ignorance.

To all of our Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, this isn’t fair. You need to be listened to, not just heard. You weren’t given that. I won’t bother apologising. The Uluṟu Statement and it’s use in the past months seemed to show a clear message: ‘Sorry is not enough’ and I agree.

To every Australian, I hope you now know what people have been trying you tell you for years now. Australia, no matter how diverse, does not accept that diversity. We are an inherently racist country and the terrible outcome of the Voice has just proven that. I wish I could say otherwise, I really do. I want to be optimistic. I want to say that I am a proud Australian, but I can’t. I can’t truly believe that.

To anyone reading, Australian or not, take this as a very real example of why you check your sources. Why you don’t believe everything you hear. Why you don’t automatically trust people - no matter how high their rank is.

For anyone wanting to move ahead with this and show your support, here are a couple of things you can do:

Support Aboriginal and Torres Strait businesses

Support Aboriginal and Torres Strait artists

Read through the Uluṟu Statement of the Heart website and use the resources found in their Take Action section found here: https://ulurustatement.org/

Read through the NAIDOC Week website and use the support toolkit found in their resources section found here: https://www.naidoc.org.au/

Donate to charities like World Vision to support the campaigns they have surrounding the Aboriginal and Torres Strait peoples

Talk to your federal electorate member. Write letters. Email. Call if they have that option available. Do whatever you can to make your voice heard. Make sure that they know your anger and your pain.

Most importantly…

Make sure that Aboriginal and Torres Strait voices are heard.

This election was not about anyone or anything other than making sure that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples are heard in parliament and that their opinion and Voice is heard above the crowd.

Now more than ever, we must make sure that they are heard. Prove your support for their voice. Prove you want to hear them. That the voice would have been important. That they deserve a say. Do not drown them out. Make sure their voices are heard.

If you have any other ideas for what else I should put here, please don’t hesitate to share. I’m a white enby - I don’t know everything and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples need as much support as they can get right now.

#the voice to parliament #aboriginal #torres strait islanders #australia #referendum 2023 #stand up speak up show up

[mouth-almighty]

So the date has officially been confirmed for the Indigenous Voice to Parliament referendum.

I'm sure that, just like the marriage equality plebiscite in 2017, the conservative side of the debate will be respectful and reasoned with no fear mongering, misinformation, or disinformation.

#referendum #indigenous voice to parliament #aboriginal and torres strait islander #Australia #auspol

[t-jfh]

For some in Indigenous Australia, reconciliation can never be revived.

(ABC News: Emma Machan)

Is reconciliation really dead after the Voice to Parliament was voted down?

By Indigenous Affairs Editor, Bridget Brennan

ABC News Australia - 22 October 2023

•

•

Indigenous leaders who campaigned for Yes have released a statement pledging to fight for justice.

(Supplied)

‘Shameful victory’: Indigenous leaders’ bitter lesson from Voice campaign.

By Mike Foley

The Age - October 22, 2023

•

•

Indigenous leaders have written an open letter to Australia’s Prime Minister Anthony Albanese after the Voice referendum was defeated.

(ABC News: Michael Franchi)

Indigenous leaders break their silence, call referendum defeat 'appalling and mean-spirited'.

By Indigenous Affairs Editor, Bridget Brennan

ABC News Australia - 22 October 2023

•

#Australian Indigenous (Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander) peoples #Race relations in Australia #Indigenous policy & reconciliation in Australia #Democracy & social justice in Australia #Australian ​Indigenous Voice to Parliament referendum 2023

[industrybuzz]

The Voice, The Vote

The Voice Referendum in Australia will come to a vote on October, creating an Indigenous Voice to Parliament. Approximately 3.8% of Australians today are indigenous, a group which lumps together both the native Aboriginal people of the mainland, and the Torres Strait Islanders, who come from islands off the northeast coast. According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics, their numbers are…

View On WordPress

#aboriginal people #Australia #parliament representation #political representation #the voice #torres strait islanders

[spaghettificationandpretzels]

Aussie Update

Hello dear friends,

For those of you who don't know, Australia had a historic referendum today for "The Voice to Parliament." This referendum was needed to change the Australian constitution so that an advisory body could give the federal government their opinion on matters affecting Indigenous Australians.

For the voice to pass, we need 51% of the country and 4 out of six states, and it's important to know that most referendums fail. The counting started at 6:00PM in every state, with one to go due to daylight savings. However, it has already failed.

This is not the outcome I wanted, but it is the outcome I expected. This referendum failure points to what POC have always known, we have a problem with racism in this country. We also have a huge problem with apathy and ignorance, the main slogan of the no side was "If you don't know, vote no," and people didn't take the time to educate themselves. I had many conversations with people who had no idea about The Voice or what it meant and all their fears were unfounded because of the missinfo campaign.

This didn't happen in a vacuum, the cost of living is insane, rent is unaffordable, and investors are buying up all our houses. This horrible outcome is just another log in a pile that disproportionately affects Indigenous Australians.

All we can do now is acknowledge the hard work and efforts of the Yes campaigners and thank them for what they did for the country. Hug your friends, give some a call if you think they're having a hard time.

13yarn 13 92 76 the Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander crisis support line.

13 11 14 lifeline.

These services may be very busy right now but there are people who are there for you. If someone is at immediate risk, please call 000.

#the voice to parliament #australia #auspol #the voice

[mapsontheweb]

Australian Indigenous Voice Referendum, 2023.

On 14 October 2023, a referendum was held to establish the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice, also referred to as the First Nations Voice, the Indigenous Voice to Parliament, or just the Voice. 

The Voice, a proposed amendment to the Australian Constitution, would establish a federal advisory body to represent the views of Australia’s Indigenous communities and would be a way to address the disadvantages faced by these communities. However, the Voice proposal failed to receive the double majority required by the Australian Constitution because it was rejected both nationally and by the majority in each state. The only state or territory with a majority of “yes” votes was the Australian Capital Territory. Areas with a significant Indigenous Australian population also overwhelmingly voted in favour. 

Sources: 

“Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice.” National Indigenous Australians Agency. 2023. 

Advisory Report on the Constitution Alteration (Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice). May 2023. 

Australian Electoral Commission. 31 October 2023.

by anthro.atlas

#maps #anthro.atlas #igsourced #australia #referendums #2023 #indigenous

[hrtvampires]

If anyone is curious about what is happening in Australia at the moment, today Australian citizens voted on whether or not there should be added to the constitution the need for the government to set up an advisory board made up of Aboriginal people and Torres Strait Islanders (Australia's indigenous people) so that they can bring forward issues affecting their communities as well as provide feedback on how new laws might affect the. The results of the vote was announced a few hours ago and it was a No, with over half the population deciding not to include this in the constitution.

The reason this inclusion in the constitution was so important is because of one simple fact: Australia is a very racist country. It pretends not to be, pushing a narrative of assimilation (for example, I remember ads about how we're "one country, one people" playing on tv when I was a kid, and many of the ads against voting yes focused on how "this voice would divide us").

The Stolen Generation only ended in 1969. If you don't know what this is, The Stolen Generation refers to a period in which the government forcibly took Indigenous children from their communities, families and cultures. These children were then taken to institutions, or adopted - being punished for speaking their own languages, and often being subject to abuse and neglect. Most of these children never saw their families again. Many indigenous traditions and cultural practices are passed down from generation to generation orally, meaning that The Stolen Generation led to a lot of traditions being lost.

The reason i'm explaining what The Stolen Generation is, is that it still massively affects indigenous people today. The Stolen Generation only ended 54 years ago, meaning that the CHILDREN taken from their families are still very much alive today, and the trauma they experienced still affects their communities. There's a massive gap in education, employment, etc between indigenous and non-indigenous peoples.

The Stolen Generation isn't the only contributor to Australia's culture of racism, or the systematic racism here; but I wanted to inform people about it because it makes a point and spreads awareness about Australia's history.

This no result is a sobering reality check. The advisory committee would have meant issues such as Black deaths in custody, and the gap could have been prioritized by the government.

Australia is still very much racist. People are still uneducated on the difference between equality and equity. People don't want to put in the work to make the world better and decolonize their minds. The government still doesn't give a shit about it's people. Misinformation is rampant. Fearmongering is rampant.

#auspol #australian politics #voice to parliament #politics

[shallowspocketdimension]

FYI just want people to know that the abbreviation of Omegaverse with and without the slashes is a very real world derogatory slur that has been hurled towards Indigenous Aboriginal Australians for centuries. I obviously understand not everyone is fully aware of Australia's history of institutionalized racism, genocide of traditional land owners and the stolen generation etc., but seeing the Omegaverse abbreviation everywhere is genuinely frustrating especially when people are ignorant to the actual serious implications of the word when put into a different cultural context.

EDIT: it should be noted that is also frustrating that people outside of Australia don't really know much about it's racist history (which is no fault of their own, hell even my education on Australian history back in primary school was abysmal and never mentioned the countless genocides the English settlers caused on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people during colonization), but that's a whole other wider conversation - and even then you should be looking for Indigenous Aboriginal Australian and Torres Strait Islander Voices if you want learn about Australia's history.

#i'm pretty sure aboriginal australians in fandom have been saying this for YEARS but obviously people ignore them #due to fandom racism or just plain ignorant that fandom isn't an america only thing. #racism tw #auspol #omegaverse #ok to reblog #if it looks and sounds like a slur it most likely is one! #omegaverse tw #added edit because i realise that it's also frustrating that people outside Australia don't really know about said country's racist history #obviously thats part of a wider conversation of history education and how we should learn more about other countries in school #i get university and college cover that but people don't know that until their either go to uni or find out that info about other countries #through endless wikipedia article searches #this also doesn't even cover how people are actively re-writing or whitewashing history in educational settings #to push a specific (usually conservative alt right) agenda

[macontheweb]

Today, Australia is voting in a referendum on the Voice to Parliament: an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander advisory body, enshrined in our constitution, that will give our First Nations peoples a say on policy that affects them. A Voice would be the first step in Australia reckoning with its history: a history which has so far ignored and silenced — often violently — the voices of the oldest living culture on the planet.

It is not lost on me that I am a non-indigenous person being asked —again — to weigh in on the future of indigenous Australians. I don’t take that lightly, nor am I sure whether a referendum is right for this. I would have felt perfectly comfortable with a Voice being enshrined without my input. Maybe that would have spared my indigenous friends the emotional toll of begging for political recognition.

But it is the way it is, so I’m voting Yes. I’m voting Yes on Wurundjeri land. Stolen land. Land where I live the kind of comfortable life out of reach for many indigenous Australians.

I’m voting Yes because it’s time for real reconciliation.

And I’m voting Yes because here hasn’t been a single argument from the No camp that I could square with doing the right thing. They say the Voice will divide Australia, but Australia is already divided. They say it will give indigenous Australians an unfair advantage. It won’t, but it will hopefully start undoing the years of unfair privilege white Australians have had in deciding their fate. The No camp has told us, “If you don’t know, vote no,” as if that’s an acceptable thing for our country’s civic discourse. As if the answer to not knowing is not to find out, not to ask questions, not to make an informed decision weighed by evidence.

They say indigenous Australians don’t want it. The polls say eighty percent of them do.

In all areas related to quality of life, non-indigenous Australians are leaps and bounds ahead of the people that lived on this land first. Indigenous Australians aren’t living as long as non-indigenous Australians. They are being incarcerated in disproportionate numbers. They don’t have the same access to high quality education. Domestic violence and sexual abuse rates are disproportionately higher in indigenous communities. The economy, housing, employment…the list goes on and on and on and the stats remain dire.

We are already living in a No world. It isn’t working.

It’s time for a change. I don’t know if we’ll get it. I’m fearful that we are too conservative and too selfish a nation to take this one small step, but I hope desperately when I wake up tomorrow we will have said, “Yes. Have a seat at the table. It’s long overdue.”

#bear with me on this #I know there’s a lot going on in the world but I had to get this out #the voice to parliament #long post #auspol

[nando161mando]

January 26 is 'Australia Day', AKA 'Invasion Day' or 'Survival Day'.

There will be protest rallies around the country.

The following text is via 'WAR: Warriors of the Aboriginal Resistance':

2024 INVASION DAY RALLY - MELBOURNE — Wurundjeri and Boon Wurrung Lands

Invasion Day Rally Melbourne

10AM Friday 26 January 2024

Parliament House Victoria.

We continue to call for treaty, truth and justice for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.

The 26th January, Australia Day is not a day to celebrate. It is an annual reminder of invasion, occupation, genocide and the ongoing impacts of colonisation that continues to destroy our lives, our lands and our waters. As the oldest living culture in the world, it is our right and our responsibility as First Nations people to protect our country, culture and our people. That is why we meet this day with protest and mourning, as one of the longest standing protests in the world.

A Dawn Service will be held at 5am at Kings Domain Resting Place, Linlithgow Avenue. This will be followed by the Invasion Day Rally where we will be meeting at 10am at the Victorian Parliament on Spring St and marching to Flinders St Station.

In recent months, distinct lines have been drawn both nationally and globally, marking those who endorse settler colonialism and those uniting to resist the enduring colonial forces that we strive to counteract. The repercussions of settler colonialism have been starkly illustrated in the ongoing genocide of Palestinians by Israel, supported by all other settler colonial states, including Australia.

In the wake of the unsuccessful 'Voice' campaign, the imperative to ensure the resonance of Indigenous Rights campaigns across the nation has become increasingly apparent. The concluded 'Voice' campaign exposed our community to reprehensible levels of vitriol from racists, sparking discussions about our humanity. This unsettling experience highlighted the perils of misinformation and disinformation during the referendum, aimed at demonising the Indigenous struggle. In response to these challenges, we are taking to the streets to demand treaty, truth, and justice for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.

On this Invasion Day, as on every such occasion, we stand united for our families, communities, and all, asserting that all Black Lives Matter.

The Australia colony is a racist nation: there is no other conclusion from the referendum. We know and live this every day. Reconciliation is dead.

We want our land back now!

Join us in our fight to Abolish Australia Day.

We demand:

Treaty/Treaties

Land back and land rights - stop selling land promised to us

End Aboriginal deaths in custody

Climate justice

End the theft of Black children and return all Black children to their families and kin

Abolish police and prisons

Reparations

The Australian government stop arming Israel

We call on everyone to respect our demands and take action with us. We also remind attendees that COVID19 is still impacting our communities and we encourage all attendees to wear a mask, bring hand sanitiser and take all necessary precautions to keep each other safe.

Warriors of the Aboriginal Resistance will be available for media interviews in the lead up to the rally. Please email [email protected] for interviews.

@antifainternational @anarchistmemecollective @kropotkindersurprise @left-reminders @radicalgraff

#26 january #january 26 #2024 #invasion day #activism #161 #1312 #antifa #antifascist #class war #organise #ausgov #politas #auspol #tasgov #taspol #australia #signal boost #signal b00st #signal boooooost #fuck neoliberals #neoliberal capitalism #anthony albanese #albanese government #antinazi #antiracism #anti colonialism #anti colonization #treaty #antiauthoritarian

[submalevolentgrace]

The ANU survey, a nationally representative sample of voters Australia-wide, found 87% thought Indigenous Australians should have a voice or say over matters that affect them. Among those who voted no in the referendum, 76% thought Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders deserved a voice on key policies and decisions.

this is what internet polarisation and american interference has done to us. people literally voting against what they want in a single-issue referendum.

#auspol