Wild scenes of cheering broke out at a raucous No campaign rally in the must-win state of South Australia on Tuesday night.
More than 1,000 people, many wearing ‘no’ supporter T-shirts, packed the Adelaide Convention Center to hear from leading campaigners including Senator Jacinta Nampijinpa Price and Nyunggai Warren Mundine AO.
South Australian Senator Kerrynne Liddle was also present to speak out against the Voice to Parliament, which would enshrine an Indigenous-led advisory body in the constitution.
In an emotional speech, Senator Price broke down in tears as she spoke about her role as a “vessel” for Indigenous people, who she said had been ignored by mainstream politics and media.
“I was a vessel for the women sitting in that room, the cousin of a murdered young girl, hanging from a tree,” she said, referring to her speech at the National Press Club last week.
In an emotional speech, Jacinta Price broke down in tears as she spoke about her role as a “vessel” for Indigenous people, who she said had been ignored by mainstream politics.
Senator Price called the Voice referendum the ‘biggest gaslighting event our country has ever seen’ (photo: the crowd at the Adelaide Convention Center)
‘It’s the votes the media ignores, it’s the votes Labor ignores, it’s the votes the Greens ignore, it’s the voters the Teals ignore.
‘And they are the voices this bloody Voice to Parliament will ignore.’
As her voice grew angry, the crowd stood up and clapped and cheered furiously.
The outspoken shadow Indigenous Affairs minister called the Voice referendum the “biggest gaslighting event our nation has ever seen”.
“We are sick to death of hearing how racist we are, how horrible we are. Our own children are taught not to be proud to call themselves Australian in this country,” she said.
Senator Price argued that a vote would “constitutionally entrench” a victim mentality in the country and affect the future of Indigenous Australians.
Senator Price also said racial politics from the United States, such as the Black Lives Matter movement, were starting to filter into Australia.
“It doesn’t belong here,” she said.
Protesters gathered against the No campaign outside the Convention Center on Monday
Nyunggai Warren Mundine AO told the Adelaide crowd that the referendum ‘divided the nation’ and that the central argument for a Vote was a ‘lie’
In a speech to Senator Price, Mr Mundine praised conservative ideals as the best way to advance Indigenous Australians.
“Australia is not a racist country and our people are not racist,” he said.
“We wouldn’t spend billions of dollars helping people if we were a bunch of racists.”
Mr Mundine said successive governments have spent hundreds of billions of dollars helping Indigenous Australians over the past 50 years and better accountability is needed for how money leads to “practical results”.
Earlier, loud protesters gathered outside the packed event and chanted through a megaphone: “Always was, always will be Aboriginal land.”
Senator Price, appearing at a news conference before her speech, criticized the protesters and said there was a growing ugliness in the campaign.
“This is the level of racism and division that the Prime Minister must take responsibility for,” she said.
She said Indigenous Australians like herself and Mr Mundine had been victims of “bullying, gaslighting and manipulation”.
South Australia is considered a key battleground in the referendum campaign, with thousands of yes and no volunteers expected to spread across the state to convince voters to back the change.
Backers of the Voice want to enshrine a permanent advisory body for Indigenous Australians in the constitution.
Mr Mundine said the referendum “divided the nation” and the central argument for a vote was a “lie” because Indigenous Australians already had votes in government.
He also said Indigenous Australians have made progress in society since he was a boy, highlighting the growing number of Indigenous doctors, lawyers and other university graduates and the growing economic contribution of Indigenous businesses.
When asked whether a no vote would mean a change to Australia Day, Mr Mundine said: ‘We want Australia Day to continue’.
Senator Jacinta Price is pictured next to No supporters in Adelaide on Monday
Earlier, loud protesters gathered outside the packed event and chanted through a megaphone: ‘Always was, always will be Aboriginal land’
Senator Price said South Australia was a crucial state for the campaign and she criticized Prime Minister Peter Malinauskas’ state-based Voice model.
She said it had become “silent” and had not improved the lives of South Australia’s most marginalized people.
South Australia became the first Australian state to legislate for a First Nations Voice to Parliament, but elections for the advisory council were postponed until March 2024 as the state-based model was ‘overshadowed’ by the referendum and caused confusion among voters caused.
In her own speech, Senator Liddle also criticized the Voice of South Australia, arguing that it had been ‘parked’ and that the public should not have seen how it would function.
South Australian Opposition Leader David Speirs also made an appearance at the packed event.
Senator Price said Australians should vote no to “unify the nation”.
Highlighting her previous controversial comment that British colonization had not had a lasting negative impact on Indigenous Australians, Senator Price said Indigenous Australians would “probably not” want to return to life as it was in pre-colonial Australia.