The conduct of the official Indigenous voice no campaign has been an “open invitation to racists”, according to Kerry O’Brien.
The veteran journalist and co-author of the The Voice to Parliament Handbook told Guardian Australia’s Full Story podcast that the language used by the opposition leader, Peter Dutton, in the voice debate could encourage racist messages to spread.
“When I heard Peter Dutton accusing the prime minister of re-racialising Australia, it was the pot calling the kettle black,” O’Brien said. “The truth is that it is precisely that kind of terminology that has been, I think, a part of the process of inviting the racists amongst us to come out and be heard.”
O’Brien also defended key yes campaign figures Megan Davis and Marcia Langton, blasting the no campaign’s attacks on what they termed “Indigenous elites”.
“Megan Davis grew up with a single mum in one of the toughest urban environments in Australia … Marcia Langton has talked about the abject poverty in which she grew.”
He said the attacks were a deliberate attempt to “somehow debase their credibility for their own ends” and that claiming they were elites was “a fundamental lie”.
O’Brien was speaking on a new series that takes reader questions on the voice referendum. The voice AMA will be released each fortnight on Guardian Australia’s Full Story podcast.
Queensland Young Australian of the Year and Saibai Koedal woman Talei Elu, who was also on the panel, said she was concerned about engaging Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander voters in remote areas.
“What’s important to know is the structural racism in these systems that keep our populations at a disadvantage,” she said.
“Things especially like enrolling, for instance, you need a driver’s licence and IDs to be able to enrol and get on the electoral roll. When you don’t have those services physically in where you are or even in the region where you are … they’re making it less likely for individuals to enrol to have a say on this voice.”
• This article was amended on 21 July 2023.Kerry O’Brien called anonymous posters on social media “cowardly” not Peter Dutton.
