voters took the No road

Terry Giesecke writes: I really feel it’s about time we stopped blaming politicians and the media for the Voice defeat (“How Australia’s media took the straightforward street on the Voice”). The blame lies with the voters. Too many Australians are disengaged from the system. In Australia, constitutional change is the accountability of all voters, one in all only a few international locations the place that is the case, however one that the majority voters eschew. Many say there was not sufficient data. Garbage. There was a lot.

Australia ranks about ninth in democracy and this decrease rating is generally attributable to low ranges of engagement. Because the teal motion demonstrated, Australia’s political system is fairly open if you wish to have a go.

I typically hear folks of my age say our legislators are woeful, however each politician in Australia — native, state and federal — is elected, so in the event that they’re poor who’s responsible? Perhaps we must always rethink obligatory voting in order that those that don’t care gained’t hassle. Additionally, reforms such because the Voice or the republic ought to start out at state degree the place constitutional change is simpler.

Glenn Turton writes: Misinformation was accepted and reported with none try at investigating reality by many information sources. Opposition Chief Peter Dutton and his crew muddied the waters with lies, and most voters aren’t discerning sufficient or keen to do the work to look at the “details” they introduced. 

I work with the group introduced as the largest drawback: previous, white males. Many blatantly acknowledged these dodgy claims — resembling the cash spent, or the proportion of the Indigenous inhabitants who opposed the Voice — as if it was reality. I’m 67 so I match the outline however fortunately don’t have the identical mentality. It appears we have to look ahead to this age bracket to fade away. Which will imply I gained’t see something significant in my lifetime. Unhappy. 

Reality in campaigning laws is badly wanted and would have, perhaps, made this newest foray a fairer combat. And perhaps a fourth property with guts sufficient to ask questions reasonably than simply regurgitate what’s given to them would have helped? 

Gary Paul writes: What an absolute pull-through Dutton, the LNP and their narrow-minded followers are. Albanese can maintain his head excessive as a result of does what he says he’ll, not like these others who say something, lie and mislead, and the media is that this nice land’s greatest drawback.

It was Sure for me, however I believe it’s time First Nations peoples transfer on. One can not undo historical past. They’ve simply acquired to go and seize it.

Miriam Germein writes: “The referendum’s consequence holds up a mirror to Australia, and the reflection is ugly” is a superb article. I used to be significantly involved about using “Australians at all times get it proper” — complete bullshit on this context. It’s the standard previous: “We don’t dare disagree in worry of shedding your vote.”

As a former highschool trainer watching the gradual demise of humanities from 2000 onwards, I’d recommend that other than the harmful undermining of vital considering ability improvement — enough to query sources and browse the subtext — the lack of Australian historical past within the curriculum has been profound. And there’s definitely no assured inclusion of Blackfulla views just like the Frontier Wars, so properly elucidated by Rachel Perkins’ documentary.

I used to be raised in nation South Australia and have first-hand data of the patronising attitudes of locals to Indigenous occupants of the native mission and the way their children had been handled as inferior within the native faculty. I don’t consider a lot has modified up to now 60 years — aside from some beautiful examples in several components of Australia countering the dismal life statistics of too many Indigenous communities.

Like many people who voted Sure, I’m disgusted by the populist opportunism exercised for this historic occasion. Like many, I’ve additionally been appalled on the media’s contribution to this pattern. Background historical past for Jacinta Nampijinpa Worth and Nyunggai Warren Mundine was important from the start to learn their dishonesty, however the lack of interrogation by the ABC and others conferred a credibility fully undeserved. I may go on however a Murdoch royal fee and different proposed laws is now crucial. I dwell in hope.

Margaret Hinchey writes: Christopher Warren’s “How Australia’s media took the straightforward street on the Voice” is superb. It takes a courageous individual to look at one’s personal occupation and discover it wanting. I like the humility and readability of thought within the article. Particularly, I agreed with this: “It jemmied the protection into the at all times ineffective steadiness of ‘either side’, as one of many gallery’s higher thinkers, Laura Tingle, known as out within the referendum marketing campaign’s dying days.” 

I too discovered that the media protection implied the completely different positions had been equal. How may they be when a lot that was put ahead by the few No spokespeople was swallowed complete by a lot of the media with out declaring the lies, disinformation and nonsense the No case relied on? A living proof was Worth’s repeated declare that she spoke for thus many Indigenous communities who didn’t need the Voice. Now we discover nearly all of the First Nations in distant and rural areas returned among the highest Sure votes within the nation. “Stability” absolutely means greater than an equal variety of seconds and minutes.

I hope Warren’s article will probably be taken on board by journalists as their accountability to tell the general public with reality and integrity.

Additionally, I consider this text “‘What a stunt’: Albanese’s non-answer the one clarifying second in a nonsensical query time” falls into the identical entice that many journalists have over referendum reporting. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has acknowledged advert infinitum that he’s following what First Nations peoples requested of us. It was not his plan. It was the request and plan of Indigenous peoples within the Uluru Assertion from the Coronary heart — seven years within the public area!

First Nations peoples have mentioned they’re taking per week of silence to assist get better from the “slap within the face” nearly all of Australians gave them. Why would they not? Albanese, to his nice credit score, won’t “present any readability” as a result of he’ll wait to seek the advice of with the First Nations peoples after they really feel capable of start their journey once more. That’s respectful and acceptable — one thing many journalists may properly emulate.

Michael Stanley writes: I actually don’t know whether or not we may have gotten previous the facility of Dutton’s misinformation, Murdoch’s complete media attain, or Worth’s main position because the “true” face of Indigenous Australia. I’ll depart that to others. To my thoughts, the Sure case made two — solely two — catastrophic blunders. (And a 3rd if you happen to add in utilizing John Farnham’s “You’re the Voice”.)

• Blunder 1: utilizing the particular article “the”, which created a factor, a bureaucratic “factor” that could possibly be portrayed as one thing monstrous and costly. The right strategy would have been to make use of the indefinite article “a”. A Voice feels like (and is) a plea. The impact of the improper selection of grammatical article was to take away the vital plea ingredient and substitute it with some bureaucratic “factor” about which a worry marketing campaign could possibly be created;

• Blunder 2: the disgraceful paternalism by the Sure marketing campaign. We heard concerning the Uluru Assertion from the Coronary heart however the assertion itself was by no means put entrance and centre. There was no media that I’m conscious of that had an individual learn it to Australians or an commercial that crammed the display with that historic doc. “We” thought “we” may do a greater job by “explaining” it. That’s paternalism proper there within the coronary heart of Sure nation. 

I’ve a buddy right here in Darwin who believes (as do I) that the Uluru Assertion will in time be understood as probably the most eloquent First Nations doc ever produced on the planet, and we didn’t put it entrance and centre. So far as “You’re the Voice” goes, nothing celebratory ought to have been chosen. Midnight Oil has a music or two. Goanna has a music or two. Warumpi Band’s “Whitefella/Blackfella”, maybe re-recorded by Thelma Plum, may have been used.

I suppose what I’m saying is that the Sure marketing campaign denied Indigenous peoples their direct Voice as expressed within the Uluru Assertion from the Coronary heart.

Jeff Grissell writes: After I left faculty and began life as an grownup my dad and mom and others suggested me: “By no means signal a clean cheque, gross sales or buy docket or actually any clean type.” So once I heard the prime minister recommend I vote Sure for the Voice to be within the structure and the main points will probably be sorted out later, he misplaced me.