Stan Grant has lamented the rejection of the Voice to Parliament referendum, saying the nation has failed to “take up the burden” of Indigenous Australians.
In his first public comments since the referendum result, Professor Grant said the ‘No’ vote was a “judgment on me and all others like me”, along with generations of indigenous people.
The comments came during a speech at the Australian National University’s Crawford Leadership Forum, where the Indigenous journalist reflected on the referendum result.
Stan Grant has lamented the rejection of the Voice to Parliament referendum, saying the nation has failed to ‘carry the burden’ of Indigenous Australians
“The vote was never about resentment, it was never about identity – it was a liberation, it was a moment to lay down our burdens,” Professor Grant said.
“But Australia would not take on that burden.
‘Instead we got a lecture on unity.
“Those who own history claimed for themselves the last word of history: ‘No’.”
The former Q+A host, who resigned from the ABC after social media abuse, said the hope for a different Australia would not be seen in his lifetime.
“We put the sod over (my ancestors) and enclosed them,” he said.
“I thought maybe they could speak within me, that those two sides of me could find a common voice.
‘But we said ‘no’ to that.
‘My country has buried my ancestors for the second time.
“I hear the cold-hearted ‘no’ from a country so comfortable it doesn’t care.
‘A country that feels soulless at the moment.
‘A land of numbers, and no words except one: ‘No’.’
Yes, the supporters look emotional as the results come in after the Voice referendum
Every state and territory except the ACT voted against the constitutional amendment to enshrine an Indigenous voice in parliament and executive government.
With the final outcome of the referendum expected within days, official figures show that 60.1 percent of voters have said no to the constitutional reform.
The Australian Electoral Commission has reported a turnout of 89.41 percent of eligible voters, slightly lower than the overall turnout of 89.8 percent for the 2022 federal election.
Professor Grant said there was a missed opportunity by the ‘Yes’ campaign to ‘make the voice speak’, calling the constitutional change a monumental rather than modest ask.
“Instead, it was silenced, shrunk small enough to fit into politics,” he said.
“In the counsel suites and the lawyers’ chambers, it was determined that if the voice was so deactivated, people could say ‘yes.’
“Instead, it was so innocent that people found it so easy to say ‘no.’
“The Constitution is not our problem; our conscience is our problem.
“The wary leaders will now return to the hard ground of indigenous suffering in Australia.
“They’re going to get destroyed with the tools they have.”