Voice referendum: Qld league legend Johnathan Thurston explains why you should vote yes on Saturday
If Queenslanders saw the conditions Indigenous children faced in remote communities they would be compelled to support the Voice, Johnathan Thurston says.
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If Queenslanders saw the housing, health and schooling conditions Indigenous children faced in remote communities they would be compelled to support the Voice to parliament, rugby league legend Johnathan Thurston says.
As the final week of campaigning for the referendum kicks off Mr Thurston said the “struggles and the pain” faced by young people in remote Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities were significant.
“You need to get into these communities, actually see what they’re going through,” he said.
The latest Newspoll conducted for The Australian shows support for the Voice has fallen to its lowest ebb, with just 34 per cent to vote Yes and 58 per cent to vote No.
In regional areas support for the Voice is even lower, at just 31 per cent.
Support from young voters has also fallen significantly to just 46 per cent.
According to the poll, conducted between October 3 and October 6, 8 per cent of voters still remain undecided.
Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said the referendum was important, and called for people to “show respect for one another”.
“It is a very important referendum to change the lives of First Nations people, to move towards a path of reconciliation,” she said.
“And I understand that there are very different views across Queensland, but please be respectful. You know, having a go at a fellow Queenslander is not the right thing to do.”
Her comments come after Treaty Minister and Quandamooka woman Leeanne Enoch revealed on the weekend a horrific rise in racially charged and misogynistic attacks directed at her in recent weeks.
The state government passed path to treaty laws earlier this year, paving the way for a formal truth-telling and healing inquiry — a pillar of the Uluru Statement from the Heart.
Ms Palaszczuk said the state government, like its federal counterpart, would accept the result of the referendum but assured Queensland’s path to treaty would not be impacted either way.
Mr Thurston, through his JT Academy, runs programs for young people and provides employment opportunities in remote communities in Queensland’s far north including Kowanyama, Yarrabah and Thursday Island.
He said the Voice was about improving the health, education and housing conditions in those communities and would hopefully improve the outcomes for young people and ensure they can live longer lives like the rest of the nation.
If established, the Voice will be an advisory body to parliament and the federal government, providing input on policy matters affecting First Nations peoples — including health, education, and economic disadvantage.
Originally published as Voice referendum: Qld league legend Johnathan Thurston explains why you should vote yes on Saturday
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