A year on from the Voice referendum, not much has changed, and while some might take comfort in the predictability of the perpetual status quo, “there are a real and dire consequences for the painfully slow progress” says Karl Briscoe.
The lead up to the referendum exposed a deep chasm between the ongoing injustices that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people experience and how non-Indigenous Australians understand the consequences and impacts of such injustices.
Data highlights that post- referendum, Aboriginal and The Torres Strait Islander peoples report a marked increase in their experiences of racism and a significant decrease in their overall social and emotional wellbeing. A key component of the Voice was Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples need for self-determination. The right to have a Voice, at the highest levels of government to advocate for the issues that affect our communities. These are changes that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples have been calling for, for generations.
Yet, when the moment was upon our nation, to spur action into meaningful change, we fell short. We felt the tide change as discourse in the lead up to the referendum went on- we heard the harmful rhetoric and felt the pain that age old tropes and fearmongering sowed in communities nationwide.
In spite of this, we were hopeful in the lead up to the vote and remain so. In the aftermath of the disappointing outcome of the Referendum, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander leaders have spoken honestly of the need to persevere, to strengthen our resolve and continue our work in the face of adversity.
As Karl Briscoe highlights “we have a responsibility to seek justice for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. Firstly, because social justice is foundational to lasting change, but also, because we feel a deep and inherent responsibility to build a fairer, more just Australia for future generations”.
“And while there was certainly much to learn from the referendum, says Commissioner Katie Kiss “our primary goal has not changed. Truth, healing and justice, these concepts are the pillars of the Uluru Statement, and we remain committed to them because they are the foundation upon which, the vision of a reconciled Australia, must be built”.
Resistance to change, or an inability to understand the nuances of how structures need to change, is preventing meaningful progress. As this Campaign has highlighted time and again, the inability to drive systems change at the departmental and agency level, is not a theoretical issue that has no consequences. For Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, it is the difference between a life of health and dignity, or one of poorer health and social and emotional distress.
The National Agreement on Closing the Gap is the most comprehensive policy initiative with the potential to address the entrenched inequalities that too many Aboriginal and Torres Strait
Islander peoples experience. If governments are serious about closing the gap, then they need to hold their respective agencies to account for failing to implement the priority reforms and meet the agreed targets.
In the absence of a mechanism such as The Voice, it is critical that governments do the work of systems change to ensure that they uphold their commitment to fully implement the National Agreement.
We know what must be done to ensure the protection and survival of the oldest continuous living culture in the world. The referendum may not have passed but that will not stop Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples from using their voices to call for change.
Close the Gap Campaign Co-Chairs
Karl Briscoe – Chief Executive Officer – NAATSIHWP
Katie Kiss – Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Justice Commissioner – AHRC
