Indigenous Australians Respond to Referendum Defeat

This article was last updated on October 23, 2023

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Response to Defeat

Indigenous leaders in Australia have responded in a letter to the defeat in the referendum on the position of the indigenous population. “We are in mourning and shock over the outcome. This will remain unbelievable and terrible for decades to come,” the letter said.

The Referendum

On October 14, Australians could vote on a proposal to recognize the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people as original inhabitants in the constitution and give them a special advisory committee. The aim was to reduce the gap between Indigenous people and other Australians.

More than 60 percent of voters voted against. This hit the indigenous population hard. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander leaders therefore announced a week of silence and mourning. They asked for time to mourn what they saw as a crushing rejection by Australia’s white majority.

‘Embarrassing Victory’

That silence has now been broken with an open letter to Prime Minister Albanese and the government. Some Indigenous leaders called the result “an embarrassing victory” for the No voters and criticized the “appalling and narrow-minded” position of millions of Australians.

“The truth is that the majority of Australians, knowingly or unknowingly, have committed a shameful act, and nothing positive can be taken from it,” the letter said. “The referendum result will be forever etched in Australia’s history.”

The statement said it was written based on the views of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander leaders, community members and organizations supporting the yes camp. Indigenous Yes campaigner Sean Gordon says the letter has not been signed so that Indigenous people across the country can commit to it.

Indigenous Disadvantages

About 3.8 percent of Australians are indigenous. This group does worse than other Australians in many areas, such as health, education, work, and income. The Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander population lives at least eight years shorter on average, suicide is almost twice as common, and the group is overrepresented in prisons.

Reasons for Defeat

The defeat in the referendum is mainly attributed by the letter writers to “lies in political advertising and communication” and racism. “There was little the yes campaign could do to stop this.”

Future Actions

The letter says leaders want an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Advisory Council to be established without constitutional amendments or legislation. “This rejection will not stop us from speaking out against governments, parliaments, and the Australian people.”

“We do not accept for a moment that this is not our country. It has always been our country and it will remain so.”