Let me try and put this in some context. Every state voted no, only the inner city places like Melbourne, Eastern Sydney suberbs and Hobart voted for Yes, while most of regional Aus voted No. It was like the 2016 US election again and that's where alot of the Yes people campaigned and placed signs, inside the city and not the country.
Labor, which is a left leaning political party here, took the issue to last year's election. They wanted an advisory body to the parliament made up of aboriginal Australians. The PM however wanted to change the constitution to allow the body to not be dismissed by changes of government, if this was created, a right leaning liberal government would have to have another referendum to remove the advisory body. Said body could also dictate policy that the government would consider signing into law. Renaming Australia Day to Invasion Day? Check. Inserting some amalgam of the Aus Flag and Abo Flag? Check. Reparations for perceived guilt? Better believe that's a Check. And the public would have no say on any of this, the proposal would go straight to the government floor to be made a bill that would get voted on.
So that's the two sides. Yes saying "We need this to heal." No saying "Think of future division." The thing is though a poll was done where 80% of people had already made up there minds when the campaigning started. I see this whole thing as a waste of tax dollars and Labor being forced to fulfill their campaign promise. The PM had to expend alot of political capital on a failed referendum, the first in 20 years. It's not a good sign for his government.
Let me try and put this in some context. Every state voted no, only the inner city places like Melbourne, Eastern Sydney suberbs and Hobart voted for Yes, while most of regional Aus voted No. It was like the 2016 US election again and that's where alot of the Yes people campaigned and placed signs, inside the city and not the country.
Labor, which is a left leaning political party here, took the issue to last year's election. They wanted an advisory body to the parliament made up of aboriginal Australians. The PM however wanted to change the constitution to allow the body to not be dismissed by changes of government, if this was created, a right leaning liberal government would have to have another referendum to remove the advisory body. Said body could also dictate policy that the government would consider signing into law. Renaming Australia Day to Invasion Day? Check. Inserting some amalgam of the Aus Flag and Abo Flag? Check. Reparations for perceived guilt? Better believe that's a Check. And the public would have no say on any of this, the proposal would go straight to the government floor to be made a bill that would get voted on.
So that's the two sides. Yes saying "We need this to heal." No saying "Think of future division." The thing is though a poll was done where 80% of people had already made up there minds when the campaigning started. I see this whole thing as a waste of tax dollars and Labor being forced to fulfill their campaign promise. The PM had to expend alot of political capital on a failed referendum, the first in 20 years. It's not a good sign for his government.