The No camp in the Voice to Parliament referendum has used its official campaign pamphlet to tell people “if you don’t know, vote no” while the Yes side is calling on voters to “unite the nation”.
The Australian Electoral Commission (AEC) published the official Yes and No cases on their website this morning. The 2,000-word essays will make up the pamphlets, which will be distributed to all Australian households ahead of the referendum.
A date has still not been set for the vote but Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has said it will be held between October and December.
The pamphlets reveal the Yes camp hopes to win over voters with endorsements from prominent Indigenous names, including former football stars Johnathan Thurston and Eddie Betts, former tennis champion Evonne Goolagong Cawley and filmmaker Rachel Perkins.
“Our young people deserve the chance to be their best. I work closely with schoolkids in the Yarrabah community in Queensland. I’ve seen the obstacles they face. Nobody understands that better than their local community. Giving them a say will mean more of our kids reach their potential. That’s what the Voice is about,” Thurston says in the pamphlet.
The No pamphlet relies on a number of prominent legal experts, quoting former High Court judge Ian Callinan, former Federal Court judge David Jackson, former NSW Supreme Court judge Terence Cole and former WA Supreme Court judge Nicholas Hasluck.
The No campaign’s essay says the Voice would be “legally risky with unknown consequences” and “divisive and permanent”.
It quotes Mr Callinan predicting many legal challenges over the powers of the Voice, while Mr Hasluck warns of significant delays in decision making.
“The Voice will almost certainly become a lightning rod for protracted debate about a vast array of current issues. Nearly every matter of current concern on the national agenda will be seen as having an Indigenous component of some kind,” Mr Hasluck says.
The Yes case outlines three broad arguments for a constitutionally recognised voice:
- Recognition and respect to 65,000 years of culture
- Listening to advice
- Practical progress for Indigenous health, education, employment and housing
It points out that the call for a Voice did not come from politicians, but rather 250 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander leaders, and argues it would save money.
“Governments from both sides have invested billions in programs that haven’t fixed problems or reached communities. A Voice will help us listen to locals and save money,” it reads.
The No camp, however, argues the proposal would be “costly and bureaucratic”.
“There are currently hundreds of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander representative bodies at all levels of government. There is no suggestion this Voice will replace any of these. It will operate as one bureaucracy among many,” its material reads.
Prominent Indigenous No campaigners Jacinta Nampijinpa Price and Nyunggai Warren Mundine are also quoted, arguing a centralised voice would overlook the needs of regional and remote communities.
“A national voice cannot speak for country,” Mr Mundine says in the pamphlet.
“What we need in Canberra is ears, not a Voice,” Senator Nampijinpa Price is quoted as saying.
More to come.