Voice advocate Thomas Mayo criticises media for publishing ‘negative headlines’ on ‘positive stories’

One of the key voice architects hits out at the media coverage in the lead up to the referendum, saying it has harmed the Yes campaign.

Prominent voice supporter Thomas Mayo speaking at a Melbourne Press Club event at the University of Melbourne on Thursday, July 6.

Voice to parliament architect Thomas Mayo has condemned the media for publishing “negative headlines” on “positive stories” about the upcoming referendum and said such actions had harmed the yes campaign.

Speaking at a University of Melbourne and Melbourne Press Club event, Mr Mayo said plenty of misinformation had been spread about the Voice. He also criticised some content published on social media platforms, labelling it “terrible”.

“It’s been frustrating to see positive stories with negative headlines and that is something that has been concerning,” he said last week.

“People tend to just read the headlines from time to time and that doesn’t help us.” Mr Mayo, a Kaurareg Aboriginal and Kalkalgal, Erubamle Torres Strait Islander man and union official, made the news last month after tweets he posted in 2018 revealed him saying it was necessary to have repatriations, give land back and pay rent to Indigenous people.

At the MPC event, Mr Mayo urged audience members to speak to “everybody you can possibly influence” and ensure they understood that the voice is “about fairness, recognition and a say for people that decisions are made about”.

Thank you to the thousands of Australians who are answering the invitation to recognise Indigenous peoples by helping our mates to understand how important it is to vote ‘Yes’ in the coming referendum.

Donate, volunteer, learn how to have conversations at https://t.co/llDVXCL9g2

— Thomas Mayo (@thomasmayo23) July 8, 2023

Melbourne Uni’s director of university museums and collections, Rose Hiscock, opened the event and told the audience of more than 100 that she had “fan girled” Mr Mayo upon his arrival.

MPC president Ashlynne McGhee, an ABC journalist, interviewed Mr Mayo and asked him about a controversial full-page cartoon advertisement opposing the Voice published in Nine Entertainment’s Australian Financial Review newspaper last week.

It depicted Mr Mayo appearing to shuffle or dance as he received a handout from Wesfarmers chairman Michael Chaney.

McGhee explained it was “an advert that was published in an Australian newspaper today” and she said, “some people described it as an offensive, racist cartoon”.

Mr Mayo responded by asking the event attendees, “did anyone see that?” to which some people replied “yes”.

Mr Mayo then asked: “who reads The Australian?” This was despite the fact the cartoon ran in the AFR. The Australian asked Mr Mayo if he was aware the cartoon was published in the AFR despite him criticising The Australian, to which he said: “Yeah it was the AFR”.

Mr Mayo said he had moved on and was “too busy” to take too much notice of the cartoon. Nine has apologised for publishing the advertisement.

Mr Mayo told the audience that if the referendum failed it would impact the way Australia would be viewed globally.

The nation would be viewed as a “backward mob” which “doesn’t have constitutional recognition of people and doesn’t have a treaty”.

“I don’t think it’s the status quo if we fail, as if that status quo isn’t bad enough … but it is going to be worse because Australians would have officially said no to recognising our existence, our proud Indigenous heritage and culture,” he said.

“They would have said no to the simple fairness, to listening to the people you make decisions about and it would be hugely detrimental to all of us”.

The University of Melbourne’s executive and council have publicly affirmed their support for the Uluru Statement from the Heart and support a yes position in the referendum.

It is understood the MPC is open to holding a similar event that would include an advocate from the no side.

A University of Melbourne spokesman said there would be many speakers on campus to discuss the upcoming referendum including no campaigner, Indigenous businessman Warren Mundine.