Listening to the Voice

Commentary

In 1967, 55 years ago, a referendum was held in Australia to allow a change to the Constitution that would remove the last impediment to the recognition of our Aboriginal people as full citizens.

Australians are slow to accept constitutional changes: we have held 44 referenda since federation, but only eight of them returned a positive result.

Yet the 1967 referendum succeeded dramatically–90. 77 percent voted YES. This was an amazing outcome. For me, it’s an incredible feeling of pride that I was one of those who voted for the candidate.

Of course, 1967 was the era of the student revolution worldwide. Young people were in ferment. Protests demanding reform were common and sometimes violent. In response to radicalisation, policies all over the world were altered and governments collapsed.

Most people will recall the phrase “One, two, three, four.” Your !”

war is not what we want.

So was the 1967 constitutional change just a consequence of youthful zeal? No. A 90 percent YES vote can only be explained by a huge cross-generational shift in thinking. Although many of us were younger at the time, we didn’t initiate the change. This was the result of years of thought, and the positive intentions of a society who wanted to be fair and just.

Forgotten Intentions

Half A century later, most of this is forgotten. Few people can even imagine that the Indigenous cause was important to their grandparents in our current pessimistic society.

A member of the Koomurri dancers holds up an Indigenous and Australian flag during the WugulOra Morning Ceremony on Australia Day at Walumil Lawns, Barangaroo in Sydney, Australia, on Jan. 26, 2020. (Jenny Evans/Getty Images)

Is it not common knowledge that the racists of my generation are well-known? Hey, Gough Whitlam didn’t even become prime minister till 1972! We could have achieved anything decent before his visionary leadership got us up!

But the truth is, we did. You can also meet older persons who were able to go to school and play sports together with Aboriginal friends.

They’ll tell you often that times have changed. They are growing apart and not as close together as they were hoping. This was a dream that some people had.

In my own experience, there was no hatred towards Aboriginals during early schooling.

Those who shared their stories with us showed respect and warmth. While we all understood that they had taken their land and were now in possession of it, we realized that their disappearance was permanent and there was no return, especially at a time where immigration to Australia was enriching our knowledge and changing the meaning of Australian citizenship.

From the 50s onwards, “New Australians” were living side by side with us and with the oldest Australians of all; our agreed common goal was integration.

Backwards Progress

Relations between ethnic groups have deteriorated since these historic events took place two decades ago. Millions have been lost, billions have been spent and millions wasted. Interracial conflict has become more bitter. Aboriginals feel left out, while poorer whites are increasingly angry at the financial benefits that go to Indigenous citizens.

Additionally, the distant-from-clarion cry for an Indigenous Voice feeds disquiet. The Indigenous land owners now own half of the continent’s total area. The talk of “treaties,” strongly implies that we should look ahead to the future. We must expect further alienation from large portions of our country by its majority citizens. This will be followed by bargaining and bartering. There will also be endless disputes about compensation and requital.

It’s not an ideal picture and will end badly. The government’s proposal for a referendum will, I believe, fail, much like the one half a century ago.

It would be foolish to think that there won’t be a lot of talking in the run-up to the referendum about Aboriginality. Much of it will be branded “hate speech.” by those opposed to it.

Protesters take part in an “Invasion Day” demonstration on Australia Day in Sydney on Jan. 26, 2022. (Steven Saphore/AFP via Getty Images)

It will be difficult but essential. The definition of Aboriginality will be clarified by the people. The increasing number of Indigenous people who claim to be Indigenous based on their most tenuous familial connections is a sign that Indigenous elders have been seriously embarrased.

People with strong connections to their Indigenous heritage are rightly concerned that false claims can be made, especially when they are used to support funding applications.

Government Duties to All

If the referendum is unsuccessful, it will be followed by a bitter and devastating disappointment. A defeat for the honest and honorable members of Aboriginal society who were led to believe they could win a new victory would cause a deep psychological wound. In an emotional mess of broken dreams and lost hopes, it is difficult to imagine harmony.

Our best chance is to avoid this tragedy and instead look for ways we can define ourselves.

Fortunately, prominent Aboriginals like Jacinta price, recently-elected Senator from the Northern Territory show us how to move forward. If race is used as a primary criterion to make decisions about how public money is spent, it can lead to race-based paternalism. Also known as apartheid.

A strange, terrible irony is that what we want to avoid, will actually be what we get. We must take a step back from the fact governments have an obligation and duty to everyone, regardless of race, background, and to assist all persons in need.

Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.