Noel Pearson – one of the architects of the Indigenous Voice to Parliament – has broken his silence on the referendum failure, almost three months after Australians voted 'No'.
Mr Pearson appeared in conversation with former ABC presenter Stan Grant at the Woodford Folk Festival in Queensland's Moreton Bay region on Saturday, where he reportedly criticized Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and lamented the state of Indigenous affairs in Australia.
It is the first time Pearson has spoken publicly since the referendum defeat in October.
Veteran news photographer David Kapernick tweeted that Pearson was “not impressed with Albanian…says he's running away and won't do anything.”
Another attendee told The Australian that Mr Pearson complained that Indigenous affairs were in worse shape than before the October 14 vote.
Noel Pearson (pictured) has reportedly accused Prime Minister Anthony of 'running away' from Indigenous affairs in a speech at Queensland's Woodford Folk Festival on Saturday
Australian National University Associate Professor Danielle Ireland-Piper, who was also in the audience, said there are “concerns about Indigenous policies that will lead to [the] a back burner for major parties concerned about the referendum and delaying progress.'
The comments from Mr Pearson, who has worked on two of the most important Native Title Claims, come after Mr Albanese said he was unaffected by the Voice Referendum defeat on October 14.
Mr Pearson's comments at the festival come three months after the referendum was held and he said in an interview with the ABC earlier this year that he would 'remain silent' if Australia voted 'no'.
He told the national broadcaster that “it is up to a new generation to push for reconciliation between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians if the Voice is voted out.”
Pearson kept his word and has not spoken out publicly since the vote. About 60.06 percent of Australians voted no and 39.94 percent voted yes to the proposal to enshrine a 'voice' for Indigenous people in the country's constitution.
Mr Pearson (left) is said to have lamented the state of Indigenous affairs in Australia, saying the country is in worse shape than before the Voice to Parliament referendum.
The photographer tweeted that Noel Pearson was 'unimpressed' by Anthony Albanese (pictured) and claimed the Prime Minister is 'walking away and won't do anything'.
During an interview with Sydney radio station 2GB on Christmas Day, the Prime Minister said he has lost nothing as a result of the Voice referendum defeat.
'Oh, no, no, no, no, very important to bring that up. “I’m not indigenous, so it wasn’t a loss for me,” he said.
Mr Albanese also said Indigenous people are used to hardship, even as he said the outcome was disappointing for Aboriginal people.
That has been the case for 200 years, and they are resilient and we will continue to do what we can to close the gap.”
The Prime Minister also made no mention of the referendum defeat during his Christmas message, instead addressing the issues and challenges facing Australia and his government's performance this year.
A majority of Australians across the country rejected the Voice to Parliament, with around 60 percent of Australians voting No (photo left prominent No vote campaigners Jacinta Nampajinpa Price and photo right Warren Mundine)
After The Voice's defeat, the Prime Minister fought back tears as he admitted the No vote had won.
'Tonight's result is not the result I had hoped for. “I absolutely respect the decision of the Australian people and the democratic process that led to it,” he said.
“We advocated this change (constitutional recognition) not out of convenience but out of conviction, because that is what people deserve from their government.”
First proposed by the Uluru Statement from the Heart in 2017, the Voice to Parliament aimed to empower Indigenous people on issues affecting Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.
Daily Mail Australia has contacted Mr Albanese for comment.