As a former student of James Allan, I have learnt to respect his opinions while usually disagreeing with them. “This is a terrible way to change Australia’s Constitution” (January 29) was different. This piece was culturally insensitive and factually inaccurate. It was an unhelpful contribution to the debate about the Voice to parliament, replete with wild assertions and false analogies. As an academic with a long career in public and constitutional law, Professor Allan can, and should, do better.