The Voice to Parliament campaigner Thomas Mayo slams negative media headlines

Prominent ‘Yes’ campaigner and Voice architect Thomas Mayo has criticized the media for publishing ‘negative headlines’ over ‘positive stories’ on the Voice to Parliament.

At a recent event organized by the University of Melbourne and the Melbourne Press Club, Mr Mayo expressed his frustration at the detrimental impact of these headlines on the campaign.

“It was frustrating to see positive stories with negative headlines, and that’s something that worries us,” he said last week.

“People tend to read only the headlines once in a while, and we don’t help with that.”

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese (pictured center with Mr Mayo on the right) has assured the public that this is a ‘modest’ request that will have no impact on the lives of most Australians but will make a world of difference to the most vulnerable in the country.

The union official also noted the misinformation circulating on social media, which he described as “appalling.”

He encouraged event attendees to talk to anyone they “potentially influence” to let them know that the Voice is “about fairness, recognition and a say for people who are being affected by decisions.”

Mr Mayo gained attention last month when a series of resurfaced tweets from 2018 made headlines expressing the importance of repatriations, returning land and providing fair compensation to indigenous peoples.

He said the vote could pave the way to making the ‘Pay the Rent’ campaign a reality and changing the date of Australia Day.

The ‘Pay the Rent’ movement wants homeowners to voluntarily pay a percentage of their income to Aboriginal elders, without government oversight or intervention.

Mr Mayo has since told Daily Mail Australia that this is a view he no longer supports, stating that he ‘doesn’t share that particular view on Australia Day anymore’.

“These comments are from a number of years ago, and many of them around the time of reporting Indigenous deaths in custody,” he said.

“I support celebrating our nation, I am a proud Australian, and I believe our democracy is important, and it will be improved when Indigenous people are given a say in matters that affect them, such as health and education.”

Mr Mayo said he now understands that a vote will “focus on practical issues that matter to Indigenous communities, such as better employment outcomes and housing.”

During his speech, Mr Mayo was questioned about a controversial cartoon published in the Australian Financial Review.

This Voice No vote newspaper ad posted in the Australian Financial Review on Thursday has drawn criticism for featuring a racist image of Yes23 activist Thomas Mayo

The cartoon depicted him each for a wad of cash labeled “$2M” from Wesfarmer’s chair and Yes23 campaign manager Michael Chaney.

The Yes campaigner said he was ‘too busy’ to take note of the ad and asked the audience, ‘Who reads The Australian?’

This despite the fact that the cartoon was in the Australian Financial Review. Nine has since apologized for publishing the ad.

Mr Mayo said that if the Voice fails, Australia would be seen in a negative light around the world.

“I don’t think it’s the status quo if we fail, as if that status quo isn’t bad enough…,” he said.

“They would have said no to the simple honesty, to listening to the people you’re making decisions about, and it would be hugely detrimental to all of us.”