If you are time poor, confused by the media and sick of the ugliness or just want Saturday to be over with (and also wish to feel you’ve done the right thing), run this Yes/No list of questions past yourself

If you’re undecided or a soft No voter for any of the above reasons, here’s a simple test. This list is originally inspired by a tweet from writer Rachel Withers and expanded into am ambitious haymaker of hope to sway all undecided folk of good conscience.

  1. Do you accept that the colonisation of Australia was, in substance, the taking of physical possession of lands and waters without the consent of the true owners, the First Nations peoples? Yes/No?
  2. Do you accept that the colonisation of Australia has had ongoing negative consequences for First Nations peoples? Y/N
  3. Do you understand that most-if-not-all past measures aimed at closing the gap between First Nations peoples and post-1901 Australians have failed to substantially close that gap? Y/N
  4. Do you care? Y/N
  5. Do you accept that First Nations peoples should have advisory input (they can make requests not binding demands) into the legislative process for laws affecting them? Y/N
  6. Do you understand and accept that in order for such an advisory body to be effective where past measures have failed, that such a body should be enshrined into the Commonwealth Constitution so that Parliament may craft it, but only the Australian People can remove it? Y/N or please explain.
  7. Finally, are you ethically ok if voting No (and No succeeding) means that this is where matters arising from questions 1-4 are likely to conclude for your lifetime? Y/N?

If you answered Yes to questions 1-6 and No to question 7, feel assured in Voting Yes on Saturday. You’ll be getting the product that the explainer process above says you’ll be getting.

You either get past questions 1 and 2 with basic logic and humanity or you don’t. You either understand that the Voice is an integrative, unifying offer and body couched within the aims of serving national healing and reconciliation from the fall out of colonisation or you don’t. To afford such basic and minimal, formal recognition and accommodation to a people dispossessed by British colonisation is a coming together, not a separation. Race is not the issue although the constitution has always accounted for it. Prior possession, dispossession and Indigeneity and are the issues.

If you’re coming to the issues fresh, question 3 may take a bit of worthwhile reading time.

Question 4 is a moot point, cos if you’ve read this far then you do care. Even if you think you don’t because, in all probability, you’ve never actually met or had any dealings with First Nations peoples and are going off culture war stereotypes.

Those two polished No campaigners Mr Warren and Mrs Jacinta have soothed many a conscience in such a manner that many voters may think that Voting No is also caring. After all, both campaigners are on all the posters/ corflutes/flyers. Have a look at the funding and ideology behind those materials before you get suckered in by them.

Questions 5, I’ll refer to Noel Pearson quoted in The Guardian.

Question 6 has its own explainer here, but in short, the history of our taking lands and waters without consent warrants written acknowledgement in the document which governs the body-politic that holds sway over Country, the Constitution. There is no side of politics in Australia bar the far right/cooker right fringe who disagree with this proposition. As both Kyle Sandilands and Peter Garrett said and sang, a fact’s a fact.

Question 7, refer Briggs.

Nga Mihi.

Mat.

Wallemettagal Country

PS: If you answered No to question 1 then try and explain how agents of the Crown facilitated your presence on whatever Country you’re on, to cast your vote.