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The Guardian - AU
The Guardian - AU
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Margaret Simons

Why is the campaign for an Indigenous voice struggling? It’s not just the media

Man standing with Aboriginal flag and yes T-shirt at a rally
‘I suspect that the downward trend in the opinion polls reflects that, as the date nears, many Australians resent being forced to turn their mind to the matter at all.’ Photograph: Pete Dovgan/Speed Media/Shutterstock

How does a nation change its mind? In the case of Australia, the answer is not quickly, and usually not very much.

Some of the things we value most about our country are stability and little political passion, let alone violence. Australia is one of the few countries in the world where people are able to say, without sounding patently ridiculous, that politics should “stay out” of large areas of life.

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