I don’t want to revisit the time and the fallout of the voice referendum. But we cannot maintain the status quo | Celeste Liddle

The agendas of truth-telling and treaty cannot be allowed to fall by the wayside in the failure of the voice to get up

A year has passed since the ill-fated voice referendum. In that time, and indeed in the time leading up to the referendum itself, I repeatedly expressed my views. There was so much that was wrong with the process, that was dehumanising, and that was distressing about the entire situation. But while Indigenous community members have had to pick up the pieces, regroup and begin discussions about the way forward, the majority of Australia has maintained the status quo.

The voice was never going to be a silver bullet. No matter how much the Albanese government attempted to sell it as such, the reality was that what was on the table was a smidgen better than nothing. Despite this, the proposal was still a bridge too far for the majority of Australians when it came to recognising the rights of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.

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