Millions of Australians inspired by the yes campaign for an Indigenous voice “will not let go”, Labor senator Jana Stewart says, as the Albanese government faces increasing pressure to outline a plan B.
Stewart, a Victorian senator and Mutthi Mutthi and Wamba Wamba woman, said although Australians didn’t agree to the voice, the referendum campaign had highlighted the “real need … for some truth-telling” and a push to close the gap and achieve reconciliation.
Stewart said she was “absolutely shattered” by the no result of Saturday’s referendum, “not just for me, but for lots of First Nations people across the country who overwhelmingly were asking for this change and had been asking for this change for decades”.
“I was really devastated for the people who have come before us, but also for our kids … we want to make sure our kids don’t continue to inherit the statistics that we see today.”
While the voice referendum was “one way”, the government will regroup after input from Indigenous communities “about where to next”, she said.
Some Labor MPs have publicly argued that a no to constitutional recognition through a Voice to parliament is not no to the remaining elements of the Uluru statement from the heart, truth-telling and treaty-making.
The Albanese government has deflected questions on its position on those elements, as the prime minister argues it is “not respectful” to expect it to explain its next steps while Indigenous leaders are in a week of mourning to grieve the referendum result.
In parliament’s question time on Wednesday, the opposition leader, Peter Dutton, continued to pressure the prime minister, Anthony Albanese, over whether he remained committed to truth and treaty processes. Albanese chided the opposition for asking so many questions about the voice and referendum, and backed his position of waiting for further conversations with Indigenous leaders before committing to next steps.
“What we see from the nature of [Dutton’s] question is that it suggests that opinion should happen in a vacuum. What we have campaigned for, I said very clearly, was to listen to First Australians about matters that affect them,” Albanese said.
“If those opposite think that we should not listen to Indigenous Australians about matters that affect them at all, then they should say so.”
Sam Birrell, a Coalition backbencher asked Albanese if any member of the government’s referendum working group had advised delaying the vote beyond 14 October. The prime minister said no, defending his decision to carry on with the referendum.
Stewart said treaties and truth-telling were “already happening around the country”, citing Victoria’s work “leading the nation”.
“One of the things that the referendum campaign has highlighted is the real need across our country for some truth telling.”
Stewart said one of the “silver linings” of the campaign is that “millions of Australians came out and voted yes and stood with First Nations people” and “were activated to get involved in a campaign where they had never been involved in a campaign before”.
Stewart said these voters and campaigners are “expecting governments to do better”.
“So I think that those people … They will not let this go. And I think they will keep reminding us and keep pushing us forward.”
Stewart, said it was “unfortunate” that millions of Australians “went into the polling booths with fear instead of facts”.
She cited false claims that the voice would mean non-Indigenous Australians lost the right to fish, and a fake letter purportedly from the First People’s Assembly of Victoria telling landowners to take steps to protect their properties.
“It’s not surprising people were fearful of what this could look like when they’re being deliberately peddled mis and disinformation … It’s really unfortunate that we see in the no campaign roll out Trumpian style politics of mis and disinformation in some of the most marginalised and disenfranchised communities.”
