My father, John Ramsland, thoughtfully wrote an opinion piece Notes on the Referendum: For Harmony you must use both black and white keys (Herald, 9/9). His conclusion was ultimately that a "no" result would result in despair: a "no" result would represent a hopeless impediment to reconciliation between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians.
I hold a different position, although no doubt there will be many people upset with the result of the referendum either way.
My father, Professor Ramsland, has done more than any man I know, within his field of expertise, to advance reconciliation. He has informed through his books about the historical realities of Aboriginal struggles in colonial Australia. He was also instrumental in the foundation of the Wollotuka Institute at the University of Newcastle while he was Dean of the Faculty of Arts.
I acknowledge, like my father does, that our collective responsibility as citizens is to the process of reconciliation. The majority of "yes" and "no" advocates I believe are similarly committed.
My view on the Voice is influenced by my experience as a criminal law defence solicitor and small business owner, having practised in Newcastle for almost 30 years. I have represented many Aboriginal men and women, many of whom are from profoundly disadvantaged backgrounds. In April 1991, the Royal Commission into Aboriginal Deaths in Custody report was published. Since the report's release in 1991, more than 455 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people have died in custody. Despite the report's findings and recommendations, First Nations people continue to be among the most incarcerated people in the world. Aboriginal people now die in custody at a greater rate than before the report, with an average of 15.1 deaths a year between 1991 and 2018 compared with 10.5 deaths a year between 1980 and 1989. First Nations adults are 12.5 times more likely to be incarcerated than non-Indigenous people and First Nations youth are 26 times more likely to be incarcerated.
The reality is that during the past 30 years, billions of dollars have been poured into attempts to solve these problems along with other social, educational, and other issues, yet closing the gap remains a distant hope.
As a criminal lawyer I realised some time ago that, within my area of responsibility, I could do something to help close the gap. I have hoped to have done my best in the many court matters in which I have represented First Nations people. I have also committed myself to searching for answers to the twin problems of incarceration and recidivism that First Nations people encounter.
Two weeks ago, a not for profit rehabilitation facility I am a director of, Connect Global at Port Stephens, celebrated its annual graduation night. Fifteen men from different backgrounds received their completion certificate for six months of residential rehabilitation and celebrated being drug and alcohol free.
One of those men was Gene Gibson (pictured), a Pintupi man from remote WA, falsely accused and convicted of murder, ultimately acquitted, and a chronic alcoholic. He is now 12 months sober and equipped for the next stage in his journey. Gene's success is one that only personal responsibility for others can account for, not a Voice to Parliament. His new life owes nothing whatsoever to centralised lobby groups, state or commonwealth programs or welfare handouts, all of which failed him. It is entirely due to private enterprise and a willingness for individuals with a commitment to change to make change happen.
A Voice will never be successful in bridging the gap until and unless there is an acknowledgement of our collective personal responsibility towards our fellow Australian citizens within the Indigenous community. The Voice may also ultimately perpetuate division by ensconcing within our constitution a two-tiered system separating us from our covenantal responsibility to each other, regardless of race or background.
Personal freedom is a freedom to be responsible and is never guaranteed by government, but by the aspirations of individuals. Individuals who care. Let us not put our hope in the Voice, or despair if it fails, but in our own responsibility and willingness to effect meaningful change to our nation.
Picture: Gene Gibson speaks at his graduation from Connect Global drug and alcohol course in August 2023.
