Voice to Parliament: Australia has ‘never’ gone to referendum with details, says Aunty Pat

An Indigenous elder who helped the government craft the Voice to Parliament referendum question has urged the Australian public to vote on principle – claiming further details will only be made public after a ‘yes’ vote.

Aunt Pat Anderson, co Chairman of the Uluru Dialogue and Elder Alyawrre, told ABC News that Breakfast Australia ‘never went to a referendum with all the details’ and this will be no different.

Australians will be asked to vote between October and December this year on whether a vote to parliament should be included in our constitution.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has described the proposal as a ‘modest’ request that will have little impact on the lives of most Australians but will make a difference to our country’s most vulnerable.

Critics, meanwhile, argue that it either does too little or too much, and that there are still too many questions to answer.

Aunt Pat said, ‘In this kind of democracy, which we have here in Australia, we vote on matters of principle.

‘There are nine principles for everyone to look at, and all the details of how it’s all going to work will be done after the ‘yes’ vote.’

She said there would be “enough information for the general public to make a decision.”

Attorney General Mark Dreyfus made some progress in clearing up primary confusion over the scope of the Voice at a news conference Monday.

He listed five areas on which the advisory body will focus and advise parliament: health, employment, education, housing and justice.

But a few hours later, the message was somewhat watered down when Secretary of Indigenous Affairs Linda Burney was unable to give the same answer during question time.

Aunt Pat said, “There are nine principles for anyone to look at, and all the details of how it’s all going to work will be done after the ‘yes’ vote.”

Aunt Pat Anderson said, “This is a milestone. This is fundamental to any democracy. Most of us here have spent our lives in the trenches, like our parents before us and for generations. This is big for us. We can do better than we do’

Deputy Liberal leader Sussan Ley asked, “Minister, what areas of public policy are not within the scope of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice?”

Ms Burney would not be interested in the details, but stated that the government had been ‘extremely clear’ about the role of the advisory body.

“If she had listened more closely to the debate, she wouldn’t have had to ask that question,” said Ms Burney.

“It has been stated time and time again that The Voice will address issues that directly affect First Nations people.”

Mr Dutton asked for clarity on what that would exclude.

Mr Albanese and the referendum working group have outlined some key details of how the body will operate, stressing that it will operate ‘transparently’, will have no veto power and will operate independently.

Commissioners will be appointed by indigenous communities and will serve on the commission for a fixed term to be determined, he said.

However, there seem to be mixed signals. Thomas Mayo, who wrote a guide to the Voice to Parliament and was part of the working group, said the proposal could be a step towards reparations and compensation for Aboriginal people.

Mayo has become one of the most prominent campaigners in the Voice after helping to create the Uluru Statement from the Heart in 2017

Speaking at the Sydney Writers Festival to promote his new handbook to the Voice to Parliament, Mayo said he is throwing “everything he’s got” at this referendum.

He made the remark in a video published by Search Foundation, a left-wing think tank that markets itself as the successor to the Communist Party of Australia.

Mr Mayo spoke of the Uluru Declaration from the heart, some two years before the Albanian government announced it would hold a referendum on a First Nations Voice – an Aboriginal body with the power to propose amendments to any bills that affect the indigenous population.

“This is the first step, it’s an essential step and it puts all the explanation behind it. For example, pay the rent, how do we do that in a way that is transparent and actually sees reparations and compensation for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people beyond what we say and do in a meeting?’

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

Elsewhere, Mayo said politicians would be “punished” if they ignored the advisory body’s advice.

Aunt Pat said the referendum “is an opportunity to make real structural changes so that First Nations people, First Peoples of this country, can fully participate in all decisions and policies that are made about us.

“We have never sat down to discuss this and be involved in all the decisions that affect us.

“That’s been the missing ingredient for all those generations where the current government, regardless of political affiliation, thinks it knows better than black guys.”