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Indigenous Voice: Australians reject historic Indigenous referendum - BBC News (bbc.in)

submitted 1 year ago by EdenRester@kbin.social to c/worldnews@lemmy.ml

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Australian national broadcaster ABC has projected three states voted No, effectively defeating the referendum.

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[-] MJBrune@beehaw.org 37 points 1 year ago

Man, I didn't know Australia was full of idiots. There was absolutely no reason to vote no to this. It was simply a group that would give feedback to the Australian Senate. Feedback from a marginalized group of the land you stole. Feedback that could simply be ignored by the Senate. It was simply giving that group a voice. How you could vote against that, I have no clue.

[-] olof@lemmy.ml 15 points 1 year ago

Is it just racism? I also don't get it.

[-] DampSquid@feddit.uk 7 points 1 year ago

Ironically, "Yes".

[-] Welt@lazysoci.al 2 points 1 year ago

I'd go with "yeah nah".

[-] comfy@lemmy.ml 7 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

No, it is not just racism. There would have been an element of that, but it's certainly far from the main reason. That idea is contradicted by the facts that a very significant portion of Indigenous people and Indigenous activists voted against it.

Linking to this useful post, explaining why various progressive groups were against it.

[-] Anchorite@lemm.ee 5 points 1 year ago

Significant proportion, but a minority still.

But yes it’s not racism alone, also confusion, selfishness, disinterest, spite, partisanship, a long list of reasons

[-] hitmyspot@aussie.zone 2 points 1 year ago

I'd say apathy more than anything. So many people didn't bother to actually find out what was going to happen. Yes side messaged it poorly. No side preyed on low information, making it divisive and about non relevant semantics.

[-] PerogiBoi@lemmy.ca 2 points 1 year ago

We have this same issue in Canada. It seems the average person finds it completely acceptable to dismiss our First Nations peoples as “drunks” and “bums” and less than citizens.

[-] Splitdipless@lemmy.ca 4 points 1 year ago

Don't forget the words of our leader of His Majesties Loyal Opposition, and possible future PM: "My view is that we need to engender the values of hard work and independence and self reliance. That's the solution in the long run -- more money will not solve it."

He's apologized since, but you as they say, you understand how someone truly feels the first time they say something, unfiltered.

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[-] comfy@lemmy.ml 6 points 1 year ago

You've actually explained one of the reasons many Indigenous people rejected this: it is just feedback that could simply be ignored by the Senate. That's powerless, and we've seen from royal commissions into Aboriginal deaths in custody that the feedback does get ignored. Why accept such a bad deal, pretending it's a victory or progress?

The Black Peoples Union interview with ABC explains why they took the 'no' position.

[-] MJBrune@beehaw.org 6 points 1 year ago

I saw this stance and I still don't know why you wouldn't want a position to give you more of a platform. It's still progress to give minority groups a larger platform than they had before.