As adults, many of us have voted in our first election, bought our first car or house, or had our first baby (or fur baby). Each of these “firsts” comes with a level of excitement and trepidation about the unknown. For those of us under the age of 41, a new “first” is coming: on 14 October we will participate in our first referendum.
Next month, all voting Australians will be asked to vote on creating a constitutionally protected Indigenous voice to parliament. The voice would enable Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people to have a say on the law and policy that affects their lives every day, through an advisory body representing the diversity of First Nations communities. It’s an exciting proposition, an opportunity to take part in making a permanent change to our political system to properly recognise the unique history, culture and experience of First Nations people.
As the referendum looms, loud voices on all sides of politics and the media take up space in the news cycle. Many Australians are searching for answers about what it actually means to vote in a referendum.
Since 2017, the Uluru dialogues have been leading community education about the Uluru statement from the heart. The Uluru statement youth dialogue, a collective of First Nations youth across the country, has been working since 2019 to build community understanding about the reforms. As the generations who would be most affected by the establishment of the voice, we are committed to helping our communities understand the need for the voice.
We don’t want to be telling our grandchildren how close we got to real, substantive change only to fail to get it over the line. We are working to make sure that doesn’t happen.
As ambassadors for the Uluru youth dialogue, we’ve been hosting community information sessions around Australia explaining constitutional recognition, the regional dialogue process that led to the Uluru statement from the heart, and the voice referendum question and amendment. These sessions offer people an opportunity to ask questions that they feel they can’t find the answers for.
My cousin, Alisha Agland (also an ambassador), and I have been delivering sessions together in recent months around regional New South Wales, and others from the Uluru dialogues and Uluru youth dialogue have been engaging with communities on the ground across the country. From the Kimberley to Adelaide, Perth to Townsville, dialogue teams have been working closely with Aboriginal communities and the broader public to help people access accurate factual information.
Alisha and I get a mix of people at our sessions. Some are keen supporters, eager to learn more. Others are on the fence, hoping for some clarity. And we’ve usually got quite a few self-proclaimed no voters. But without a doubt, all leave the session with a lot more clarity and understanding of what the referendum is actually about.
Many voice and Uluru statement-related events have been held in the cities in recent years, but there have been far fewer opportunities for people in the regions to engage. Being from Orange, my cousin and I felt strongly that we needed to engage our own community in the conversation, and we knew we needed help. Earlier this year, we brought together what is now known as the Orange region voice working group, a collective of Indigenous and non-Indigenous representatives from the region committed to educating the community about the referendum. Building on this experience and wanting to engage parts of the state where there hasn’t been as much access to face-to-face information, Alisha and I have been travelling from Port Macquarie to Lennox Heads delivering sessions.
The most valuable part of the sessions is the Q&A. Most people have questions they can’t find an answer to with a Google search, partly because the internet is flooded with confusing news articles, but also because it’s not always easy to identify factual, reliable information relating to the referendum in general.
The yes campaign’s messaging and information has remained consistent over the past year, but I’ve seen the frequently asked questions at sessions evolve as the no campaign’s arguments have changed. First it was about the lack of detail, then it was the impact on executive government and slowing down the government. More recently it’s been the question of treaties or the length of the Uluru statement. People come to our sessions to get clarity about what they’re reading online or hearing from their friends.
Fortunately, these types of questions can be answered with factual responses that can help put people’s mind at ease. This is why people come along.
And it is why Alisha and I will be delivering online information sessions and Q&As every Tuesday until the referendum, to ensure the greatest access to factual information no matter where you are.
While “Don’t know? Vote no” seems like a catchy slogan, my experience is that the Australian people shouldn’t be taken for fools in this debate. With over a month before the vote, people are taking the time to find out.
• Kishaya Delaney is a Wiradjuri woman and Uluru Youth Dialogue Ambassador
