On October 14 Australians made it clear that they don’t want to be divided on the lines of race.
The result was a rejection of the Voice body – which the authors of Sunday’s open letter neglected to reference – not a rejection of recognition, nor of the significance of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander culture in our nation’s history.
It was not a rejection of the right of anyone to be heard, rather an affirmation of every Australian’s equal right to be heard.
This anonymous letter is a cynical attempt to keep race in the national conversation. It is a clear example of the division and disharmony the Voice would have delivered and is a continuation of the lies peddled by the Yes campaign over the last 12 months.
The referendum results clearly show these anonymous so-called ‘leaders,’ do not represent the views of all Indigenous Australians. It is paternalistic and wrong for anyone to claim they have the ability or the authority to speak on behalf of all Australians of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander descent.
If you believe in something, you put your name on it. If the authors of this statement truly believed in its content, they would not hide behind anonymity.
We must move away from this divisive rhetoric and unite as one Australia, because whether they are of Indigenous heritage or otherwise, this country belongs to all Australians.
