A matter of respect

At the Canberra Walk for Yes, as a visitor from Melbourne, I was impressed by the positivity and tolerance. 

One No voter with placard bravely walked through the assembled gathering and was not jeered but greeted with the good-natured chant, ‘Yes! Yes! Yes!’

One speaker reminded the crowd not to confuse the hesitation of undecided voters with not caring. 

But most memorable were the words of Ngunnawal Elder, Aunty Violet Sheridan, who said, “This isn’t a political matter, it’s a matter of respect, equity and human rights”. Well may we heed these messages. 

• Ray Peck, Hawthorn VIC

Statement includes treaty

Mary Coombe (CW letters, 21 September) stated that I am not free to repeat the falsehood about the Uluru Statement. According to the National Indigenous Australians Agency (NIAA) FOI 2223/016 which is the document about the Voice, when questioned on the telephone, the NIAA stated that the whole document was 112 pages long but the last 26, which is named Document 14, is the full Statement. The first 86 pages are the meeting minutes. Page one of Document 14 is the actual Statement which everyone signed. Pages 2 to 26 is ‘Our Story’.

Item 9 has the support of First Nations. On page 13 states, ‘Any constitutional reform must have the support of the First Nations right around the country’. As this is not the case, it cannot proceed.

On page 19 under the heading ‘Treaty’:‘In relation to content, the Dialogue discusses that a Treaty could include the establishment of a truth commission, reparations, a financial settlement (such as seeking a percentage of GDP).

Thomas Mayo and Teela Reid have publicly stated that if the Voice passes, they will pushing for the above.

There are 3521 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander corporations, 243 Native title bodies, ANTAR, various grants and funding programs, Native Title Tribunal, ABSTUDY, Closing the Gap, etc. The Government give all these organisations over $34 billion a year. Unfortunately, and this comes from Aboriginal people, the money is not getting where it is meant to go and this is the problem.

• Vi Evans, Macgregor

Distrust of politicians

I sincerely believe race has no bearing on the Voice issue, instead it’s the voter’s ingrained distrust of politicians, also fear of the unknown leading to a disinclination to changing the Constitution. Voting at the referendum is a real conundrum for voters as on the one hand they are subjected to alleged misinformation, and on the other minimal meaningful information has been provided to enable voters to make an informed decision prior to casting their vote. The Albanese government has only itself to blame for this distressing state of affairs, effectively willing the Voice to fail, dooming the Indigenous cause back by a decade or so. Using the Furphy: that’s how the Constitution works is disingenuous and will be rejected by voters; the Voice should have been legislated instead.

It would now appear as though the academic Indigenous elites as creators of the Uluru Statement have conned the PM into accepting it in its entirety, demanding that it must be enshrined in the Constitution making it that much harder for the Voice to succeed.

• Mario Stivala, Belconnen

Democracy depends on independent news

Mike Chavez (CW 21 September) has articulated what many who disagree with the kangaroo “cull” have known for a long time, i.e. that Canberra’s media in particular, ABC 666, has simply become a mouthpiece for the ACT Labor/Greens government.

Media stories on the kangaroo “cull” strongly favour the government’s side without giving equal weight to opposing viewpoints. Press releases sent by animal groups ignored and requests by concerned Canberrans for interviews rejected.

The government’s science has been completely debunked by environmental scientists, independent ecologists, and citizen scientists who have taken a deep dive into the government’s data and found nothing but misinformation, disinformation, and falsehoods.

These brave Canberrans have spent countless hours of their own time and money only to be overlooked by an indifferent ABC 666.

Canberrans have a right to know the truth about what is happening to their kangaroo mobs.  In fact, democracy depends on reliable, accurate and independent news reporting.

• Robyn Soxsmith, Kambah

Rallies vs polls

Exact figures for major rallies are usually estimates, from the information received from various Yes rallies last weekend and the No rallies held on Saturday the 23rd it would seem that in Melbourne some 60,000 Yes voters turned out and less than 1,000 no voters. Brisbane was estimated to have 20,000 Yes voters and almost 300 No voters and the only other estimate seems to be 7,000 yes voters in Canberra; someone actually counted the 27 no voters who sat in chairs under the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander flags to protest giving a voice to indigenous Australians. Interesting numbers given the polling results.
– Doug Steley, Heyfield VIC 

Get a Grip

Putting aside romantic notions behind the upcoming October Voice/Constitutional referendum, can we all please calm down and come to agreement about the reality of this and take a Bex from the Statement from the Heart and the overuse of guilt by association following the behaviour of former silk clad, wig wearing, early guests (the entitled Brits) who exploited, ‘for The Crown’, the First Nations Peoples, who peacefully occupied and nurtured for this land for 60,000 years – for which , much later, in this modern era, we continue to inherit the blame. In 2023 it could be argued that well intended mis-guided elected officials have cunningly formed into a conga- line of believers in social engineering wealth redistribution by constitutional change.

I remain a swing voter, not fully convinced of the argument when self interest, on both sides, appears to be more prominent than detail. Why does everyone shy away from seeking redress from the root cause of the problem, the United Kingdom? Could it be we, local mugs, are a softer easier target. Stick the UK with serious litigation and complaint and see how far you get. The glass is always half full and there is usually a light at the end of every the tunnel – so hope, surely, remains eternal.

• John Lawrence, Flynn ACT

Voice is multifaceted

Eric Hunter (CW letters, 21 September) is being somewhat disingenuous by comparing Mabo to the Voice; Mabo was solely about land rights, the Voice will have a plethora of subjects subject to litigation. He goes on to say: a Constitutional Voice need not be “permanent”; that may be so, however the only way to remove it would be by having another referendum at an estimated $82 million which would be a criminal waste of taxpayers’ money .

• Mario Stivala, Belconnen

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