Pom in Oz with Derek Goforth: The frustrations of not getting the answers we deserve in Voice debate

“A proposed law: to alter the Constitution to recognise the First Peoples of Australia by establishing an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice. Do you approve this proposed alteration?” So in Australia’s first referendum since 1999, we are being asked to vote Yes or No to this question. As expected, this issue has sparked debate in every level of government and society, and as usual mud has been slinging between opposing camps and by the masses on social media. In a nutshell, it seems as if you support the “Yes” campaign you are branded deluded and woke, and if you back the “No” vote you are painted as a racist and bigot. I think the proposal could be a big step forward in uniting a nation, however, there is simply not enough detail out there to make an informed decision. I am so sick of pollies refusing to actually answer questions about the way the referendum will actually look in real terms. They have all been elected to represent us, so if they are asked a simple question, can’t they just give a simple answer? Rather than using it as an opportunity to further their own political aspirations or get one up on their opposition. I want to know, as does everyone else, how this will actually affect me, my family and my community. I want my Indigenous brothers and sisters to be represented and have a voice. Why? Because we have the oldest living nation of people on our shores and they should be protected, respected and their heritage should endure. But is The Voice what is actually needed, or should we be focused on improving what we already have? This opinion is based on my own experiences, my 15 years living and working in regional Australia in the education system, child protection system, the church and with various volunteer organisations. I see a lot of support for our Indigenous community and I see elected officials who are Indigenous. It could be argued that our Indigenous people are actually over-represented in our political houses. But I would counter-claim that by saying just because a pollie is Indigenous does not mean for one second that they only serve our Indigenous people. In the same way a female pollie would not just serve women. I have spent time with Indigenous and non-Indigenous friends and spoken at length with them, and I have not found one supporter of The Voice as of yet. I have found plenty who want more information about the nuts and bolts. About how people are elected to the body, about how their advice is used, about the political power wielded. But they have been met with the same frustrations as me — political grandstanding and immature tit-for-tat arguments. For me what we need is quite simple, we need to improve what we already do. Not just for our Indigenous people, but for everyone. We need to make the system fair, help means help. If someone is struggling — help them. If someone is sick — help them. If someone needs a leg up — help them. We are one people with a rich cultural background that should be the envy of the world. We should celebrate our Indigenous culture because it is the very foundation of our nation, we should be shouting it from the rooftops. But we spend so much time in regret, in despair and in argument. We need to learn from the past and how to do it much, much better.