Gutted doesn’t begin to describe how I feel this morning.
The results of the referendum are in and it’s a resounding No. Not a quiet no, not a marginal no but a sweeping rejection of what felt like a simple, generous and hopeful step forward.
It’s hard to articulate the grief I’m carrying. There’s a kind of mourning happening across the country right now, especially among First Nations peoples who offered this nation a hand of peace and watched it be turned away. But for those of us who are not First Nations, there’s something else too: the sharp sting of recognising that the place we call home may not be what we thought it was.
For the first time in my life, I felt truly foreign in my own country. How did we get here? How could such a gentle call for recognition and representation (really, nothing more than a seat at the table) provoke so much fear, misinformation and hostility?
Over the past few months, I saw something remarkable. I saw people of all cultural, religious, political backgrounds coming together in solidarity. People who may have disagreed on everything else, but stood united in the belief that justice, decency and dignity matter. That’s what I’ll carry forward from my time supporting #Yes23.
But today, I’m also a deep and painful disappointment in the systems that allowed lies to flourish. In the loud voices that sowed fear and maybe more so in the silence of those who chose comfort over courage.
To those who spewed hate and division during this campaign: I hope you take a long, hard look in the mirror this morning. And I hope you realise the damage that’s been done not just to First Nations communities, but to our collective sense of who we are and who we could be.
Because this isn’t the end. The Voice to Parliament was never the final destination. It was one possible path forward albeit a modest one.
There is still so much work to do because:
- The truth has still not been told.
- Treaty has still not been made.
- Justice has still not been delivered.
Australia said no yesterday but I still believe we can become the kind of country that says yes. A country that tells the truth about its history. That centres justice and equity. That really listens to the voices of those who have been here since time immemorial. Not because it’s politically convenient but because it’s the right thing to do.
Always was. Always will be.
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