Yes 23

Yes 23

Note, these are my personal views. Any factual inconsistencies or errors are completely mine.

Over the past few months I have listened to many people raise their concerns about The Voice. If you don’t know what The Voice is, it’s a proposed national body to represent the views of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples on issues that impact their lives, and there will be a referendum later this year.

The reasons that I have heard for not supporting The Voice is that successive generations of their family have lived in Australia and they have as much right to this country as Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. That ‘the little buggers’ broke into their house and stole their car and loads of money has been spent and not made an inch of difference. That The Voice gives one group of people a greater say than others.

Like many Australians, I can trace back at least seven generations of my family from Sydney in New South Wales, to South East Queensland, and North Queensland, as far north as the Torres Strait. Some of my ancestors came to this country to reinvent themselves, including tweaking their surname to forge a new identity and life (for reasons that are lost in our family history today). They have been timber millers, insurance brokers, fishermen, merchants, pearl divers, servicemen and women serving in World War I, World War II, East Timor and Afghanistan, and they have both prospered and suffered misfortune.

This is my country.

At the same time the history and experience of my family is very different from the histories and experiences of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. They were not treated equally under the laws of this country: not entitled to vote until 1967; many were told where they could live, work and whom they could marry by well-meaning governments and church organisations under the guise of protection; historical documents exist that detail plans to ‘breed out’ Aboriginality in just a few generations; and their culture was destroyed and devalued.

When I walk down the street I am not observed and judged based on the colour of my skin. I do not experience racism in the everyday things I do.

Around a decade ago a representative group of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people came together to talk about ways Australia could heal its past and make a difference for the future. The result of these talks was a document called the Uluru Statement of the Heart. This document said that two things could help: a national Voice to Parliament so that they could have a direct say in the issues and policies that affect them; and a Makarrata Commission, a truth telling, sharing and documenting of stories.

This group of people said that support for the Voice to Parliament should come from the Australian people through a referendum. They put their trust in the Australian people and hoped for a coming together and show of support similar to the 1967 Referendum.

Closing the Gap has not worked, and for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people we are not significantly shifting the dial where it matters, in life expectancy, suicide rates, health and education.

I have worked at senior levels of government, and while things have improved over the years, there are still groups of officials making decisions and policies that impact Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people with no lived experience in the room. Yes, consultants fly in to ‘consult’ but often don’t return to say ‘here’s what we understand you told us is the problem’, ‘here are things we think could help’, ‘have we got this right?’, ‘do you think it could work?’.

Over 20 years ago I used to be part of a lecture series at James Cook University for first year politics students. The lecturer invited speakers from all sides of politics to talk about their work within political offices. I generally spoke about listening to problems, trying to find consensus and solutions, with the aim of making things better. One of the other speakers always spoke about Machiavellian powers plays, manipulating business, interest groups and the media to ‘win’ on an issue. The students listened to this speaker rapt, and he was the most popular person for questions.

I used to come away from this lecture questioning and feeling so completely naïve. Today I am proud of my naivety. I believe that treating politics as a game, has damaged the genuinely good work that politicians and officials are working to do. It means Australians are skeptical, untrusting and wary of politics, with good reason.

As we move towards a referendum on The Voice it will require us to dig deep and have some trust and faith in our politicians and institutions.

I believe it is important to remember that this is not a contest about who has the most rights to this country. This is not about making people feel guilty about our history. It does not mean one group of Australians has a greater say than others.

Whatever way you decide to vote, make sure you do so based on the facts, not on misleading information and campaign slogans.

Brave Smart Strong is about good mental health. If there is one thing I know is that trauma, discrimination and racism damage mental health.

In my view, The Voice is about healing and a way forward. It is about giving a voice to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people about things that impact them. And most importantly, I really hope that it will help create a better future.