Tens of thousands of people have marched in cities across Australia in support of a yes vote in next month’s referendum on an Indigenous voice, with an emotional Linda Burney declaring that “history is truly calling”.
The minister for Indigenous Australians said she was “almost crying” at the turnout.
In Melbourne, people were still searching for a free space at Federation Square when Burney began reading a section of the Uluru statement from the heart.
“It is truly overwhelming to look out over this crowd and see you. To know where your hearts are, to know where your spirit lives. And that you, like us, want to embrace this opportunity to move this country forward together.”
“Each and every one of you can help answer the call from generations of Indigenous people, seeking to be recognised and seeking to be heard.
“For 65,000 years, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people have been speaking 363 languages, but no voice. In 27 days, you have the power to do something about it.”
Organisers believe 60,000 people marched from the State Library in Melbourne to Federation Square for speeches and performances, although Victoria police said it was closer to 30,000.
Many clapped as they walked, chanted “Yes” and held their signs in the air. Some sung You’re the Voice, the song John Farnham lent the yes campaign.
When they arrived, the Midnight Oil frontman and former Labor environment minister, Peter Garrett, described the referendum as one of the nation’s most consequential moments. Between songs, he urged people to discuss the referendum with family and friends who remain undecided.
“Countries only get to make decisions like this once in a lifetime,” Garrett said between songs. “And it’s your decision. I think all of us know that this cannot be wasted. It must be understood as one of the most important things that we, as a fair nation, can ever do.”
In Canberra, several thousand people walked to the lawns in front of Parliament House, where they heard speeches emphasising the “fair go” and saying that the referendum would “define who we are as a nation”.
Some of the handmade signs included “If you don’t know, find out” – an implicit rebuttal to the no camp slogan “if you don’t know, vote no”. Another supporter held a sign saying “Ditch the fear” – an optimistic twist on the highly controversial sign “ditch the witch” held up at an anti-carbon tax rally in the same location 12 years ago.
Dot, a Canberra resident, said after attending the rally that she had a message for undecided voters: “What have we got to lose? We have 65,000 years of shared history to gain.”
The musician Josh Pyke entertained the crowd, as did Grinspoon’s Phil Jamieson, who said: “I’m here for healing. I’m here for truth telling.”
Jamieson adapted the chorus of the Grinspoon song “No reason” to declare: “I’ve got a reason.”
The independent ACT senator and voice supporter David Pocock later told Guardian Australia the referendum was a defining moment in the country’s history.
“It’s an opportunity to unite Australia, to accept the generous offer of recognition and a voice, and I think we heard from generations of local Ngunnawal people urging Canberrans to listen, to vote yes,” he said.
Burney told the Melbourne rally that 20,000 people attended the rally in Brisbane, where Yes campaigners held signs saying: “If you don’t know, find out,” “Maintain the love,” and “Stop the Trumps, vote yes”.
Thousands also met in Sydney’s Redfern Park to hear from campaigners and performances from Dan Sultan and Missy Higgins. The crowd also sung happy birthday to the New South Wales premier, Chris Minns, as he took the stage.
In New York, hundreds of people walked across the Brooklyn Bridge and one carried a sign saying: “History has its eyes on US”.
“It’s easy to feel disconnected when we are all living far away from home. But we can, and will, play a role in this referendum,” the organisers of the New York walk said.
