No second chances if Voice vote fails, warns leading Yes campaigner Thomas Mayo

One shot. That is how Yes campaigner and signatory of the Uluru Statement from the Heart, Thomas Mayo, sees the Voice referendum, describing it as a once in a lifetime opportunity.

Indigenous leader Thomas Mayo speaks to a small but passionate crowd about his support for the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice to Parliament referendum on October 14 at a public forum and Q&A session at Wuchopperan Health Service, Manoora. Picture: Brendan Radke

One shot.

That is how Yes campaigner and signatory to the Uluru Statement from the Heart, Thomas Mayo, perceives the upcoming Voice referendum, describing it as a once in a lifetime opportunity to move the country forward.

A Kaurareg Aboriginal and Kalkalgal, Erubamle Torres Strait Islander man, Mr Mayo was in Hobart on Wednesday to speak at the Australian Public Health Conference.

And while Mr Mayo was upbeat about the Yes campaign’s prospects on October 14, he warned anyone who thought there might be further opportunities at the ballot box any time soon to think again.

“As person who understands the history of referendums and the history behind this opportunity – a long, long struggle to give Australians this opportunity to say yes to accepting us and listening to us – I can say that we will not get this opportunity again in our lifetimes,” Mr Mayo said.

“This is one shot that we have. One shot to move forward together, and it cannot be wasted.

“The suggestion that we could have another referendum, basically doing the same thing, I think is wasteful and irresponsible. And it smacks of the political games that are being played with Indigenous lives once again.”

Mr Mayo said he had been on the road across Australia campaigning for the Voice ever since he co-signed the Uluru Statement from the Heart in 2017.

He said the referendum boiled down to 92 words, the smallest of additions to Australia’s founding document would result in the significant improvements in outcomes for First Nations people.

Thomas Mayo. Picture: Supplied

“This is a simple and fair proposition,” Mr Mayo said.

“It is something that has been a long time coming. That we should recognise that Indigenous people have been here for 60,000 years and that there are real problems in education, health, and employment.

“And as we are hearing today, health experts say that we are going to get better outcomes for children if we listen. And so it’s about establishing that mechanism for Indigenous people to be heard.”

Public Health Association of Australia president, Adjunct Professor Tarun Weeramanthri, AM, urged Tasmanians to take a “commonsense” approach to the referendum, describing the push for a Voice as modest and fair.

“We know that if you simply listen to people, you are likely to get better health outcomes,” Prof Weeramanthri said.

“As a health organisation, we say that the current situation is unacceptable. There’s a big gap in health outcomes, and this has the likelihood of closing that gap.”