Uluru Dialogue leaders share their heartache and motivation moving forward on first anniversary of Voice defeat

Uluru Dialogue leaders have opened up about their heartache and motivation to move forward from last year’s referendum.

A year on from the October 14 referendum, Indigenous leaders say there is more need for an Indigenous Voice to Parliament than ever before as outcomes for First Nations people continue to worsen.

The latest data from the Productivity Commission paints a grim picture for First Nations people with rates of incarceration, suicide and children in out-of-home care all increasing in this year’s Closing the Gap report.

Of the 19 targets to improve outcomes for Indigenous people, only five are on track to be reached by 2031, according to the report, released in July and the first since the referendum.

Uluru Dialogue Leader and Pitjantjara woman from the APY Lands, Sally Scales said remote communities like hers, who voted Yes in droves, had been let down by both sides of government.

Sally Scales was part of the initial Uluru Dialogues. Picture: Naomi Jellicoe

“The no vote was about keeping the status quo, keeping Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities low on the totem pole, low in the abilities to have a say,” she said.

“I think about the possibilities, how it could have been the way for (remote) communities to have a voice to talk about issues on the ground instead of having another failing system.”

Meanwhile, Uluru Dialogue Senior Leader, Wiradjuri man Geoff Scott accused the opposition of using Indigenous issues to spread misinformation.

“It became a target for the opposition whose leader chose to use the future of Indigenous people as a political toy,” he said.

“All it (the Voice) was asking for was giving us a say in the matters that are affecting us. It wasn’t a leap to Canberra, that was a lie.

“We never had misinformation legislation to protect us from the lies and the slander and what it’s done is left another generation of kids to wander around in the wilderness.”

Senator Kerrynne Liddle denied misinformation allegations. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Martin Ollman

Indigenous Liberal Senator Kerryanne Liddle said it was “absurd” to suggest that the referendum failed because of misinformation.

“It’s not about misinformation and disinformation. It’s about the yes campaign refusing to accept the proof and the outcome,” she said.

“Queensland Electoral Commission ran a campaign that talked about being aware of information that people were receiving, and yet they were the highest no vote in the country.

“It was a bad idea executed poorly, and the Australian people in a democratic process said no - move on.”

Uluru Youth Dialogue Co-Chair Bridget Cama said it was “hard to move on because the need for a voice doesn’t go away”.

“You only have to look at the statistics around youth suicide to know that a lot of our kids don’t have hope for a better future and that’s really devastating,” she said.

“Politicians have shown through their behaviour that they won’t get the job done.

“This is up to us as the Australian people, to make sure that we demand a better future for our people and future generations to come.”

Originally published as Uluru Dialogue leaders share their heartache and motivation moving forward on first anniversary of Voice defeat