General Topic
The Australian Referendum on The Voice
APB23-Aug-23 11:20 am
Australians have now all been given a special booklet explaining what is going on....at considerable taxpayer's expense....with a list of arguments for and against....people complained that it has not been properly explained...this was supposed to make sense of it all.
The line that is quite shocking to me reads "The AEC does not have legislative authority to amend OR FACT CHECK the Yes and No cases....so basically both sides can lie their faces off and they printed the thing anyway..... we are being warned not to trust what is in it...take a look...what a waste of money and time.....
Comments
  • Brian L 387567
    Dada of WA have you read the booklet. The proposition is simple. The constitution would allow and require a voice. The government of the day would be required to legislate about the way it would work.
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      • Dada WA
        I see no mention of the flag. If the voice gets up does that mean we are one and there will only be one Australian flag. The Aboriginal flag will no longer be flown at government buildings?
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        • desley l
          Hi APB, Yes they can lie their faces off, but it is not in either sides interest to do so, as someone, somewhere, will fact check them, and, if found wanting, their side will collapse in a heap.
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          • Pat C 618241
            Well we Aussies don't like being told what's good for us especially re changes to our laws. After all in my whole life only 1 referendum got passed as ayes vote. Here we go again and I think it will be NO!
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            • Tom S Qld
              Ask yourself this ... will it make a difference?
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          • Brian L 387567
            Having read some of the comments here I am so disappointed by the mean spirited and ignorant opposition to the voice. I thought that Australians who were literate enough to write in forums like this could at least express commonsense arguments for or against. Sadly, I do not have great hopes for our future.
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            • APB
              tell us more Brian...it is a discussion page and I'd like to hear your views!
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            • Dada WA
              Ignorant because it has not been explained properly?
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            • Dada WA
              If the voice is passed does that mean we will all be under one flag and the aboriginal flag will be retired?
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          • boy blunder
            my prediction a lot of wasted money
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            • Tom S Qld
              the reason why the Voice will not have an Aboriginal voter elected membership is because they are worried that most Aboriginals will not vote at all for that, and that most Aboriginals consider that some of the Voice activists are "fake Aboriginals'' who do not represent them - they represent themselves. This is why a lot of them don't want the Voice, as they see it for what it is - a scam by activists to enable them to be un-elected co-governors of Australia.
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              • APB
                This is Monday 4th of September...if you are in Australia watch the current edition of SBS world news on SBS on demand...hear what ordinary first nation people have to say about "The Voice"..it blew me away!
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                • Tom S Qld
                  I think that the people who want the Voice don't really understand how divisive it is and will become. Most Aboriginals don't recognize or know the people who will represent them on the Voice. They won't be able to vote for them, so how will these representatives be elected? I think that a lot of right-wing extremists will hijack the Voice and try to cripple the Australian parliament via the courts.
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                • APBTom S Qld
                  sorry Tom I cannot open that one....it was just the last SBS world news program...probably Yesterday's live one....they went to Orange to gauge the response of people in Regional Australia...I was amazed at these guys replies ...it shows just how out of touch Canberra is with reality...
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                • APBTom S Qld
                  one guy said "they want to give us a voice?...if they wanted our opinion...why didn't they ask us first if we wanted a voice?" ...and they were all very negative...
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                • Tom S QldAPB
                  Yeah, Orange. That's the one. This is one of the main No arguments, they are already over-represented and over indulged, $32 billion per year. Most of that is being stolen by the people who are supposed to represent the Aboriginals. This will just be another "advisory body" which will cost money and not achieve anything. They don't' need it and don't want it. It is already dividing them and us.
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                • Tom S Qld
                  The latest - The declared aim of the Yes advocates who have led the drafting of the proposal to place the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander voice in the Constitution is co-government. This means that an un-elected minority will have equal rights to co-govern Australia alongside the current elected government.
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              • Danielle R 478487
                Haven't seen any booklet. I tend not to read these things. There is a gov website you can visit. I live in an area where a large percentage of population is indigenous. I like to hear from both sides. Still they are pretty much divided. I want to see the wording of legislation,know rights of land ownership for the future moving forward. Can't get a definitive answer. Frustrating.
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                • Tom S Qld
                  The referendum on the Voice to Parliament has been thrown into chaos after election chiefs said a tick will count as a Yes vote - but a cross will not count as a No. Australian Electoral Commission's boss made the surprise admission in an attempt to clarify the voting process. 'Pease make sure you write on that box, Yes. or No, in English.'
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                  • MARGARET p 388156
                    I have not received the booklet waste of money
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                    • Pat C 618241
                      I've received the booklet. Basically it is "pollie" speak. Tells you nothing - takes you nowhere". I think on such a basis the whole deal should have been an old fashioned Treaty decided over 100 years ago.
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                      • boy blunder
                        if a pig loses its voice i think it might be a little disgruntled as i think Mr easy will be with all the no-votes
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                        • Liane H
                          I have not received a booklet yet , I am awaiting the talked about door knock campaigners ... l have absolutely no clue on what the vote will be but it's looking like it won't go through. I would feel badly not supporting the indigenous peoples having a voice, yet the fact that many of them are saying no to it says a lot . So the whole thing is completely confusing as it stands currently.
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                          • APB
                            The whole thing seems to be about catchphrases and a sense of guilt...
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                        • MoB
                          After having read the uluru statement from the heart I will definitely be voting NO. The booklet doesn't really tell us anything, its very misleading, especially if you have read the Uluru statement.
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                          • Tom S Qld
                            The whole thing is a waste of taxpayer money and resources. There are much more urgent things that need to be worked on.
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                            • Tom S Qld
                              Total direct government expenditure on indigenous Australians last year was $33.4 billion, The figure covers Commonwealth, state and territory expenditure and includes direct Indigenous funding and indirect funding (e.g. welfare payments). The figures come from a direct presentation by the Productivity Commission to the Prime Minister’s Indigenous Advisory Council meeting, which used their data from their reports. 812,728 people identified as being of Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander origin, representing 3.2 per cent of the total population. If you do the math that spending equates to $41,000 per year per aboriginal person.
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                            • Tom S QldTom S Qld
                              Not all of these 812,728 people are dependent on Centrelink. A lot of them are working. But we still spend $41,000 per year on them.
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                            • Tom S QldTom S Qld
                              Apparently this is not enough, they obviously want more. I can only assume that if the Voice succeeds, then they will get more.
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                            • Tom S QldTom S Qld
                              I think the Voice is doomed for failure. The only people who are excited about this are the people in the Canberra Bubble who don't know what is happening in the rest of the country, and the 10% rich wankers who also don't know what the rest of us are thinking.
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                            • Tom S QldTom S Qld
                              To pass a referendum, the bill must ordinarily achieve a double majority: a majority of those voting nationwide, as well as separate majorities in a majority of states (i.e., 4 out of 6 states).
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                            • Tom S QldTom S Qld
                              As of 2023, 44 nationwide referendums have been held in Australia, only eight of which have been carried. Since Federation, only 8 of the 44 proposals for constitutional change have been approved. The most recent successful referendums were in 1977.
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                            • Tom S QldTom S Qld
                              My prediction - the Yes vote will fail in all 6 states and will only garner 19% of the vote.
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                            • Tom S QldTom S Qld
                              The whole thing has been poorly conceived, poorly thought out and poorly organized. The Australian people are not that stupid.
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                          • allin
                            well look at the good side A, with all the posters we have to this poll, you #1,,,, if you get to #2, you will start to smell,,,,
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                            • APB
                              While I admit I haven't read the Constitution...it was written by wealthy Englishmen and is at best wildly out of date...I was told that the only human right in there is to able to chose your own your own religion...women are chattles..and the Government can take away your home whenever they want....maybe the money spent could be better used writing a new decent Constitution...written by Australians of all colours and creeds... that is fair and just for everyone?...just a thought.... THAT would be an historic moment....
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                              • allin
                                great concept,, but if in fact your constitution was re written, it would be done by the rich people that run your country, to benefit themselves,, just like the 1st one,,, and just like ours here in the usa,,, but yes that would be a historic moment A,,, maybe someday, if we don't burn up from climate change, don't get taken down by new virus's, again linked to climate change,,, don't get covered with radioactive particles if pooootin or crazy north korean pushes the red button,,, if we get thru that, we have a chance,,, who am i kidding, we got 2 chances,,, slim and none,,, gratz on the 1000 point poll Benson,,,;-))
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                              • APBallin
                                this one is a freebie because I was angry about that stupid pamphlet!...we need politicians with vision and an independent commitee to write it..something we all need to agree to as well..or alternatively get the Norwegians to write it for us as they are about the only Nation on Earth that has faith and near total trust in their Politicians.....
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                              • allinAPB
                                i agree A, but unfortunately our systems are being used against us,, we need to get rid and replace all the politicians that represent themselves over the voters,, we getting a lot of that here kemosabe,, most of our leaders are ex lawyers,, why do you give up 5 mil a year to get elected toa $300,000 a year job,, lawyer wear special suits,, they are actually cheaper as they have no pockets,, lawyers don't need pockets as they always have their hands in your pocket,,, fire the lot of 'em,,,,,
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