Indigenous Voice interviews in western Sydney expose big problem with referendum

A series of interviews in one of Sydney’s most ethnically diverse suburbs has exposed one of the big problems with the Voice to Parliament.

Everyday Australians were stopped on the streets of Merrylands, in Sydney’s west, last week and asked for their views on the upcoming referendum.

Some did not know when the referendum would take place, others said they did not care, while some confused it with the TV series The Voice.

One of the most recognizable responses was residents admitting they knew little about the Voice, with one saying he didn’t understand what it was about.

A lack of details surrounding the referendum is one of many arguments that critics of The Voice have made.

The interviews come as a new poll shows that support for the October 14 referendum has fallen to a new low of 38 percent.

Sera Lalagavesi, a youth support worker from Queensland, said she plans to vote yes

A huge 28 percent of Australians are born overseas and almost half are second-generation immigrants.

Arabic is by far the most common language spoken in Merrylands, with Lebanese being the most common origin (18.1 percent), ahead of Australian (10.8 percent).

Merrylands is Sydney’s 17th most diverse suburb. It is also home to Chinese, Afghan, Indian and Nepalese immigrants.

READ MORE: Proud native Aussies plan to be No

Locals in Anangu Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara, north of Adelaide, are not convinced a yes vote will improve their lives.

Trevor Adamson (above) says his people haven’t had enough time to understand what the Voice would mean.

While there is strong, high-level support for the yes vote in immigrant communities, many people from non-English speaking backgrounds still feel unable to form an opinion at street level.

“I need to understand what the topic is so I can tell you what I think,” an Arabic-speaking woman told SBS.

A young Arab mother said she had no idea when the vote on admission would take place. “I have no information.”

Some thought questions on The Voice were about the TV series in which singers compete, while others wanted interviewers to explain the main points of the referendum.

An older man, speaking Arabic, said he would vote “when the time comes,” then asked, “What do the Aborigines want?”

One tradie said he planned to vote ‘no’ ‘because I don’t trust the government’.

Of those who understood what the referendum was about, most seemed prepared to vote ‘yes’.

“Because they deserve someone to support them,” said one father.

In June, a national alliance of multicultural groups announced their support for a ‘Yes’ vote in the Voice referendum, with a joint resolution led by the Australian Councils of the Federation of Ethnic Communities.

‘Multicultural communities attach great importance to reconciliation. Many of us come from countries where we too have faced exclusion and disadvantage,” said Mohammad Al-Khafaji, the Iraqi-born CEO of FECCA.

“Australia has provided many of us with great opportunities. And this is our chance to give back to the indigenous people.”

Sera Lalagavesi, a youth advocate from Queensland, said she plans to vote yes.

“I think it’s important, as far as history goes and understanding the importance of keeping that alive, that our indigenous people have a say.

“For me, saying ‘Yes’ is a step forward in showing and trying to encourage the next generation to know that Aboriginal history is as important now (as it has been) in the past and in the future.”

An older man, speaking Arabic, said he would vote “when the time comes,” then asked, “What do the Aborigines want?”

Victorian polling firm Redbridge found support for The Voice had fallen by five per cent in the past month to just 38 per cent nationally.

The yes vote also lagged in every state, with only NSW showing any increase in support from 39 to 42 per cent, offset by a drop in Victoria from 45 per cent to 41 per cent.

Redbridge also polled voters on how they ranked the Voice in terms of priority for the government and found that only two percent said it should be the main focus, while just six percent placed it in the top three issues.

Voters were much more concerned about bread and butter issues, with the cost of living being in the top five issues by 92 percent of respondents.

Housing affordability was considered the second most important issue, with 73 percent of people naming it as a priority for the government, followed by the economy and employment, which was nominated by 69 percent.

Health care financing, wages, climate change, the economy transitioning to renewable energy and national security were all rated as more important than the Voice, with only about 15 percent of voters naming it as a top five priority.