Groom MP Garth Hamilton calls on nation to move on from Voice distraction

Toowoomba and south west Queensland had some of the highest rates of No votes in the Indigenous Voice to Parliament Referendum and local member said the results were no surprise.

After leading up the Darling Downs ‘no’ campaign, Groom MP Garth Hamilton, said there was no celebration among his volunteers after the Indigenous Australian Indigenous Voice referendum was soundly defeated at the weekend.

“There are no winners,” he said.

“It was a terribly divisive process that we have been through and the country has been torn apart on the issue.”

Groom, along with Maranoa, had some of the highest concentration of ‘no’ votes in Australia.

As of Midday on Sunday, 75.8 of Groom voters rejected the proposed constitution change that would recognise First Nations people and enshrine a Federal parliamentary advisory group, called the Voice.

In Maranoa that number jumped to 84 per cent, the highest in the country.

Mr Hamilton said the result did not come as a surprise.

Leading the 'No' in Toowoomba is (left) Groom MP Garth Hamilton with volunteers Denis Sandrin and Beverly Bates.

“Its probably what I was expected having listened on the ground for 18 months,” he said,

“To those that voted ‘no’, I would say thanks for your support and to all Australians who voted ‘yes’ I think it is clear we acknowledge the problems facing the community but the majority of Australians did not agree with the solution that was put forward.”

The defeat sent shockwaves through the Indigenous community, with the ‘yes’ camp declaring a week of mourning.

Indigenous advocate Marcia Langton declared “reconciliation is dead” in the wake of the ‘no’ vote win.

“A majority of Australians have said no to an invitation from Indigenous Australia, with a minimal proposition, to give us a bare say in matters that affect our lives, advice that doesn’t need to be taken by the parliament,” she told NITV’s The Point.

“It‘s very clear that reconciliation is dead.

“No campaigners have a lot to answer for in poisoning Australia against this proposition and against Indigenous Australia.

“They say they’re not celebrating, but let’s see how they wheel themselves out in the future … this has been a cynical political exercise by the Coalition.”

There have been calls from within the ‘no’ campaign for Prime Minister Anthony Albanese to resign over the defeat but Mr Hamilton said he would rather see unity.

“The PM has torn this country apart and I hope he has the ability to bring it back together,” he said.

“We need to get on with the business of holding the government to account and this has clearly been a distraction.

“Polling said it was number 17 on that list of issues Australian think are important but it was the government’s decision for 18 months to make this it priority in the middle of cost of living crisis, a housing crisis and a crime crisis.”

The Voice was outlined as a simple advisory panel, drawn from the Indigenous community, that would provide feedback to the Federal Government in a manner similar to the Auditor General, the various ombudsmen, the Human Rights Commissioners, the Information Commission and the Productivity Commission.

Constitutional Law Professor Simon Young and 'Yes' campaigner Kate Reardon-Smith calling on voters to back the Voice at Middle Ridge State School, Toowoomba, October 14, 2023.

Darling Downs Yes advocate and Constitutional Law expert Professor Simon Young said it sounded simple because it was.

“There is nothing new about advisory bodies to the government and we’ve got dozens on the federal level already,” he said.

Each of these bodies offered advice and made representations to the Federal Government, but none had the power to override what elected leaders decide, and Prof Young claimed the same would have been true for the Voice.

While the Voice has been defeated, Prof Young there was a silver lining.

“Working in this area I have seen big disappointments, and we have to regroup and you think what’s next? What have we learned from that experience?” he said.

“We might all come out of this a bit better educated even though it blew up on us with the political division.

“I don’t think anybody expected it to be this political, because it’s a pretty simple idea and I think that is why the ‘yes’ camp is playing catch up.”