Lidia Thorpe reacts to the Voice referendum announcement – and summarizes why Australia voted against the measure
Independent Senator Lidia Thorpe says she is not surprised Australia voted No to Indigenous Voice in Parliament, saying the Yes campaign failed to take the country on a journey.
Appearing on the ABC’s referendum panel on Saturday night, Ms Thorpe – who campaigned for a No vote – said the entire vote had been a loss for Indigenous people.
“I am sad for my people in this country now. It’s been a terrible 12 months for a lot of people – Yes, No, in between, I don’t know and I don’t want to deal with it,” she said.
“Blakfellas have gone overseas to get away from this because it’s been so hurtful.
Independent Senator Lidia Thorpe (centre) said she was ‘not surprised’ early results showed some key states voted No in the referendum
“We have to, you know, not allow our people to be oppressed so much again, because that seems to be repeated in this country.
“We have to rebuild, and rebuild at the grassroots level, this whole referendum left the grassroots behind.
“When you leave them behind, black or white, you’re always going to run into trouble.”
She said the only way for Australia to ‘heal’ after the referendum, whether Yes or No passes, is to face the country’s ‘real history’.
“The Prime Minister has an opportunity to implement the Royal Commission into Aboriginal Deaths in Custody, the Bringing Them Home report, and they could even pass the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous People,” she said.
“We still have work to do and we need people to tell this government to implement the recommendations that will save our lives today.”
New South Wales, Tasmania, Queensland and South Australia voted no in the referendum.
Ms Thorpe (above) said the only way Australia could ‘heal’ after the divisive referendum was for the country to face the ‘real story’ and hold colonial crimes commission inquiries.
Asked if she was surprised by the results, Ms Thorpe said: “(I’m) not surprised as the country has not been taken on a journey and the referendum was, ultimately, a bad idea.
“We’re not surprised that we don’t have strong votes because people don’t even know what it’s about or that, in terms of the Black Sovereign Movement, we don’t want to go to the Constitution.
“We’ve been loud and clear about it and we’ve gotten a lot of support.
“From the beginning I said it was a waste of money and that it would divide our people. Here we are, 12 months later, money wasted, no result and no justice whatsoever.’
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