YMAC Referendum Roadshow in Geraldton encourages participants to vote yes to Indigenous Voice to Parliament

The yes and no campaigns for an Indigenous Voice to Parliament are heating up, with a referendum roadshow hitting Geraldton this week hoping to convince those sitting on the fence to vote yes. About 35 people turned up to the roadshow in Geraldton on Wednesday night, hosted by Yamatji Marpla Aboriginal Corporation (YMAC), to understand more about the controversial Voice and why communities should vote to change the content of the Constitution. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese is expected to reveal the referendum date on Saturday, October 14. The roadshow delved into what The Voice means for Indigenous Australians, why people on the fence should vote yes and how people can help the Yes campaign in Geraldton. Event moderator Emma Gartlett kicked off the session by reading the Uluru Statement from the Heart. Yamatji representative and community elder Jackie Oakley explained the Voice to Parliament was about community, empowering Indigenous Australians and giving their communities a voice to articulate their feelings towards the issues affecting them. “From the day I was born, I’ve known about racism. It’s about when I was in my mother’s womb when she turned up early and she (was told) ‘you can’t be admitted here you need to deliver your baby on the veranda’,” she said. “That was my start to life. “If people believe in social justice for Aboriginal people we implore them to vote yes.” Labor candidate for Durack at the 2022 Federal election, Jeremiah Riley, explained why it was important to enshrine in the constitution a Voice to Parliament, while Geraldton MLA Lara Dalton aired her thoughts on how the Voice would benefit Indigenous people in her electorate. Ms Dalton said it was “quite confronting” to see the inequality from suburb to suburb and enshrining a Voice to Parliament could allow for better outcomes for Aboriginal people in areas such as health, housing and employment. “When you listen to your community and when you take on advice, you do make better decisions,” she said. “If I want to see real change I think this is a step in the right direction.” One man asked: “Has this referendum gone on a national level?” and noted the audience turnout was a disappointing. A woman agreed the numbers were poor and said it was “mainly because Aboriginal people are losing focus on it because they’re misunderstanding it”. A third speaker said it was important non-Indigenous people asked themselves “why did the 1967 referendum get up and who voted on it?”. Another comment from the crowd was: “We’ve got a chance here, a Voice to Parliament. I don’t have 30 years for something else to get up”.