Q&A host Patricia Karvelas and Yes campaigner Noel Pearson argue that being Indigenous is NOT a race and that a voice would still be needed even if there was no longer Aboriginal disadvantage

Noel Pearson, a leading advocate for a Yes vote in the Indigenous Voice to Parliament referendum, has said that being Indigenous is not a race.

Mr Pearson had a spirited exchange on ABC’s Q&A program on the issue with Conservative and anti-vote advocate Wesley Aird on Monday evening.

The two prominent Aboriginal men also argued over whether or not a vote would be necessary even though there was no longer any indigenous disadvantage.

‘What the Voice will do is enshrine the disadvantage in the constitution forever. And as an Indigenous person, I really struggle with that,” Mr Aird said.

“I think it would make more sense to fund needs instead of race, and I think there are other ways to value (people).”

Q&A host Patricia Karvelas jumped on that comment and put it to Mr. Aird, who is director of Indigenous education and previously advised John Howard, namely “Indigenous is not a race.”

A confused Mr Aird asked: ‘How come it isn’t?’, before Mr Pearson replied: ‘They are people who existed before colonisation.

“There are blonde people and blue-eyed people in the Arctic Circle.”

“We’re not in the Arctic Circle,” Aird said.

But Mr Pearson said: ‘It doesn’t matter. The question is whether there were peoples that existed before colonization by the British.

“They were Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, and (the Vote) is an acknowledgment of that historical truth,” he said.

Mr Aird replied: ‘Okay, so the races we’re talking about are Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander.’

Mr Pearson then expanded on his point, saying: ‘Recognition is not just about disadvantages, it is about our languages, our culture, our history, recognition of our art, of all the good things we can contribute to the country.

‘It’s not just about disadvantage. I hope that the day will come very soon when we will overcome our deficit.’

Mr Aird then asked: ‘So we don’t need a vote then?’

An irritated Mr Pearson said: ‘Why wouldn’t we? We have a lot to contribute positively to the country.”

Pearson said: ‘It is questionable whether there were peoples who had previously been colonized by the British’

But Mr Aird responded that Indigenous people already do, saying: “We are very much part of our national fabric.”

The leading Yes campaigner responded that The Voice’s success in the October 14 referendum would be “a huge opportunity for the country.”

‘I hope that the day will come when we will actually recover from our disadvantage and our culture will make a real contribution to the rest of the country.

“But we will still be indigenous peoples,” Pearson said.