Australians are being primed by politicians, advocates and the media for the Voice to Parliament debate but there is no chatter about the funding or resourcing for the campaigns.
Minister for Indigenous Australians Linda Burney has been active on social media raising awareness of a recent Evatt Lecture on the topic of the Uluru Statement from the Heart, but there is no hint of any funding for a campaign just yet.
A tweet from Burney posted over the past 24 hours riffed on key government promises but nothing about campaign funding.
“Our October Budget will be solid, sensible and suited to the times. We’ll place women at the centre of the Budget,” Burney said.
“And deliver on our election commitments: cheaper child care, cheaper medicines, and fee-free TAFE. That’s how we’re building a better future.”
Assistant minister for Indigenous Australians Malarndirri McCarthy has tweeted about the federal Budget placing women at the centre of it, but like Burney, McCarthy says there is nothing that flags any funding for the Voice campaign to come.
It is consistent with what The Mandarin has heard in recent days from people on different sides of the campaign: there is no expectation of campaign funding just yet.
A referendum on the Voice to Parliament was a key promise made by now prime minister Anthony Albanese and the ALP prior to the federal election that is a part of the government’s commitment to implement the Uluru Statement from the Heart.
Albanese announced a proposed question for a referendum and revealed a suggested amendment to the constitution to give effect to the Voice to Parliament at the Garma Festival held in July.
The prime minister also spoke to a meeting of the First Nations Referendum Engagement Group on 29 September 2022 about the challenge of taking the question to a referendum.
“Some people have said to me around the country, particularly before Garma and the speech I gave there: ‘Are you sure about this? It’s a big risk.’ It’s a bit like saying to Penrith or Parramatta players in the lead up to Sunday that they risk losing if they run on the field on Sunday. If they don’t, it’s called a forfeit. And that’s what we’re facing here,” Albanese said.
“If we don’t have a referendum, then by definition it won’t succeed. And, if not now, when? And if not under this government, which government is going to have the guts to do it? And so, I recognise that there’s a risk. But the risk has to be balanced up with the certainty of failure if you don’t try. And that is what my government has done and what we’ll continue to pursue.”
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PM’s desired referendum question for an Indigenous Voice to Parliament
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