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The Canberra Times
The Canberra Times
Steve Evans

'Reluctant no' and doubts voiced on the street

"Reluctant no" is not a choice on the voting sheet - but it accurately reflects a common view on the street.

In a completely unscientific survey in well-heeled Yarralumla, the reply came back: "reluctant no" or a variation thereon. There's a lot of doubt out there.

"I think a lot needs to be done to help Indigenous people," a retired professional man in the aviation industry (who didn't want to be identified) said.

But he then said he would vote "no, reluctantly".

His reasoning was: "There used to be discrimination against Italians and Greeks and they became fully integrated members of the community, and that's what I would like to see Aboriginal people achieve.

"But the Voice isn't the way of doing it," he said, adding: "I just feel so sad."

He thought the body to convey Indigenous concerns to Parliament (the Voice) would be too much of what he called a "blunt instrument".

He said the referendum was very divisive. "It's been handled in such a way that it's driving the community apart rather than bringing it together, and that's tragic."

We talked to people in Yarralumla as part of a series in the lead-up to the referendum.

Another person there who didn't want to give her full name voiced similar doubts, but without the final decision to vote "no".

David Hughes is supporting the Voice. Picture by Sitthixay Ditthavong

Clare said she was undecided, saying, "I appreciate the Uluru Statement. I appreciate the intent of the Voice. I welcome recognition of our Indigenous history in the constitution.

But then the but: "However, I have doubts around a new body being constituted when there's little detail on its governance."

The lady had worked in central NSW and said that her own "experience of coexistence" there gave her doubt. "Some of it was great and some of it was not so great," she said. She is yet to decide how to vote.

Yarralumla is one of the most affluent suburbs in the most affluent city as a whole in Australia - but its age demographic may be more relevant in the Voice referendum. It has a higher proportion of older people than does either the ACT in general or Australia - and national polls indicate that older voters are much more likely to vote "no" than those younger.

But, of course, not all older voters intend to vote "no".

Retired teacher Jill said she was concerned about high levels of domestic violence and child abuse in some Indigenous communities, and also about high rates of incarceration of Indigenous young people.

Those problems convinced her that a Voice to Parliament was needed.

"It's not working as it is and I think Indigenous communities should have more input into how to solve those problems. The Indigenous community needs to sort out better than we are doing," she said.

Her husband outside the shops in Yarralumla agreed. A Voice would give Indigenous people an "avenue" to bring these issues to Parliament, he felt. "It's only an avenue and Parliament can turn down the advice."

Jill felt that money going to help Indigenous communities wasn't being well used and she thought that a Voice would improve that misdirection.

"The money should be only for those who are disadvantaged and not for people who claim distant Aboriginal ancestry but who are living very comfortably," she said. "The money has been frittered away to people who are not disadvantaged at all," said Jill, a committed "yes" voter.

David Hughes is also a committed "yes" voter. He has got up to speed on the issues recently and quickly - and he is voting for the Voice.

He took the trouble to find out what the issues were when he was walking the dog and the neighbour had a "yes" sign and an Aboriginal flag.

"I would vote 'yes',", Mr Hughes said as he collected bait at the shops to go fishing on Lake Burley Griffin on Kurrajong Point.

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