NT Indigenous leaders: ‘voice referendum vote tied to racism’

The resounding defeat of the voice referendum cannot be separated from a deep-seated racism, according to three Northern Territory land councils.

Northern Land Council chairman Samuel Bush-Blanasi. Picture: Glenn Campbell

The resounding defeat of the voice referendum cannot be separated from a deep-seated racism, according to three Northern Territory land councils representing some of the nation’s most remote Aboriginal communities.

The Northern Land Council, which represents Indigenous residents of roughly the top half of the NT, the Tiwi Land Council, which represents the people of the Tiwi Islands, and the Anindilyakwa Land Council, which represents the people of Groote Eylandt, joined Indigenous leaders and organisations in a week of silence to grieve the referendum result on Saturday. However, behind the scenes, Indigenous leaders and organisations that supported the voice were in heavy talks about the way forward.

The three land councils have now emerged with a joint statement declaring Indigenous policy is headed in the wrong direction as a result of last Saturday’s vote.

“The mistakes of the past will be continued with the latest mandate,” the land councils said.

“In effect it is an attempt to silence Aboriginal people, which is likely to further disadvantage our communities.

“The request for a voice was simple. Listen to us before you make decisions about us.”

All four land councils in the NT supported a constitutionally enshrined Indigenous voice to parliament. The Central Land Council, which represents Indigenous Australians in Alice Springs, Tenant Creek and dozens of remote communities and town camps, is expected to address its members on Saturday.

“We are disappointed, but not surprised,” Northern Land Council chair Samuel Bush-Blanasi said in the joint statement.

The land councils said: “We recognise the result of the referendum cannot be separated from a deep-seated racism. It is fair to say that not everyone who voted ‘No’ is racist but also fair to say that all racists voted ‘No’.

“The vitriol and hatred that were part of the campaign existed prior to, but were given licence through, the process. The overarching theory we are incapable of managing our own affairs is dehumanising and degrading and, most of all, deeply flawed.”

The three land councils said it was clear from Australian Electoral Commission data that remote residents across Northern Australia overwhelmingly supported the referendum proposal. The Kimberley Land Council this week published an analysis of polling places across the north of Western Australia showing 77.5 per cent of residents of remote Indigenous communities voted yes.

“Eager to break the shackles of poor government decision-making, a proposal for a new system to engage with government was the opportunity to break from the past,” the NT land councils said.

Gibson Farmer Illortaminni, chair of the Tiwi Land Council, said: “This outcome underscores the pressing need for us to find a way forward, one that ensures our voices are not only heard but respected when crucial decisions are being made by the government, decisions that directly impact our lives, lands, seas and culture.”

The three NT land councils thanked supporters who stood with them during the campaign.

“The Prime Minister showed courage to take the proposal to the Australian people, through a referendum. Campaigners were steadfast in their support,” they said.

The Weekend Australian has been told more than 70 leaders from across Australian participated in an online meeting on Wednesday night to discuss next steps.

In an essay in The Saturday Paper, Yes23 campaigner Thomas Mayo said the Indigenous leadership wanted to press on with help from the millions of non-Indigenous Australians who shared their aims.

“In summary: we continue our calls for our voices to be heard, for reform and for justice, and we need your ongoing support,” he wrote in The Saturday Paper.

Mr Mayo acknowledged the Yes campaign had flaws but wrote that Opposition Leader Peter Dutton was “two-faced”.

“I agree there were aspects of the Yes campaign that could have been better and I ponder what else I could have done. These thoughts hurt, like an aching emptiness in my chest,” he writes.

“An honest assessment compels me to mention Opposition Leader Peter Dutton as well. Dutton has shown he is bereft of the qualities held by the Indigenous leaders I have worked with.”