Are you lazy, selfish, racist or gullible? If you’re currently thinking of casting a No vote in the Voice referendum, it might pay to look in the mirror and ask yourself that question first.
Early voting in the Indigenous Voice to Parliament referendum kicked off in WA this week, ahead of October 14, the official date Australia will go to the ballot box to decide on recognising First Nations people in the constitution.
We’re getting to the pointy end of this and it’s about time we cut through the rubbish and got down to brass tacks.
The first thing to consider is the most obvious — why would one vote either Yes or No?
The Yes side of the equation is fairly simple and is entirely about acknowledging who was here first (Indigenous people) and addressing the chronic disadvantage that this cohort has suffered over 200-plus years of colonisation.
There’s no hidden agenda. There’s no ulterior motive. That’s what voting Yes is all about.
Let’s have a look at who thinks voting Yes is a good idea: all the major sporting codes, the Australian Medical Association, universities, banks and big mining companies.
In terms of individuals, you’ve got countless sports and entertainment stars, from Cathy Freeman to Andrew Gaze, Kerry O’Brien to Magda Szubanski.
These are people and organisations that Australians love to identify with and, with the exception of banks, trust.
Now, let’s take a look at the No campaign, starting with where the motivation is coming from.
Why would you be against recognising Indigenous people in the constitution?
Because it creates division? Have you seen the stats around Indigenous education and health outcomes, incarceration rates and average income?
That’s evidence there is already a dividing line in our society and to suggest a Voice would make it worse, or be contrary to the Australian ideal of “a fair go”, is deliberately disingenuous.
What about the No camp’s suggestion a Voice would make the political sky fall down?
Well, even a cursory amount of research will tell you the Voice is an advisory body with no power to veto legislation, so this is, again, disingenuous.
Maybe you don’t think the Voice will actually help Indigenous people and this may turn out to be true.
But you know what else hasn’t helped?
Literally everything we’ve done for more than 200 years, so letting Indigenous people have some measure of self-determination is worth a go, I reckon.
OK, so let’s look at who wants you to vote No.
You’ve got Peter Dutton and co, who want Anthony Albanese’s Voice dream to crash and burn for their own political ends.
Clive Palmer is spending millions promoting the No vote, while other notable No supporters include Cory Bernardi and Warren Mundine, whose own daughter just called him out for being “morally” wrong.
You’ve got actual racists. Enough said.
And then there are anti-vaxxers.
A Reuters report last month found Australian anti-vaxxers, who had amassed large followings during the pandemic, had jumped on the No bandwagon and were successfully disseminating misinformation on social media.
Misinformation that is incredibly easy to debunk, if you are prepared to put in the most token of efforts.
Some of these trolls vilified Szubanksi over her weight for supporting the Yes campaign — lovely.
What you need to do now is take all of the above into consideration and remember this is not just about being on the right side of history.
This is about who YOU identify with. Cathy Freeman, Farnsy (AND Barnsey BTW), a majority of Indigenous Australians and people who want to improve the lives of First Nations people?
Or Clive Palmer and anti-vaxxers?
Seriously, it’s that simple.