In the wake of the delivery of a resounding no to this proposed constitutional change, this article offers a very measured analysis of the problems with the Voice proposal and rejects the simplistic idea that a "no" is simply due to Australians being racist. This article is from before the referendum.
Deeply disappointing, as an outsider to the Murdoch island's internal discourse narratives, to see Australian members (both here and elsewhere) drink the kool-aid on the propaganda against this referendum and bending over backwards to do online global opinion damage control for their settler colonial state's latest collective act of ethnic repression.
The conditions of this referendum are completely performative, yes, but it institutionalizes a recognition of the indigenous peoples these settlers have genocided. This would have been a first step. A very small step, but a step still. Voting down the referendum because there should have been better conditions is a hilariously optimistic expectation for the land of White Australia. It's been two centuries since the establishment of this genocidal settler state, this referendum is the best first step that's going to be ever condoned from such a population, and apparently even this was a first step too far for these islanders.
The propaganda excuse that the indigenous peoples opposed this themselves, from a cursory search myself, even seems wrong give how the overwhelmingly indigenous districts apparently voted for it.
The only valid reason for opposing this performative first step is that it deprives the Australian state from weaponizing this as self-image propaganda like New Zealand does with its "cutsey" Haka performances to pretend like its some decolonized country for the world. Instead, this referendum further confirms this island is still in the collective grip of the failsons of White Australia.
By telling progressives that the referendum is only performative and then telling conservatives the referendum goes too far, the media brainwashed the public.
Aussies are settlers inherently. They needed excuses to vote No. By raising bullshit arguments unrelated to the actual referendum question, they found one palatable excuse somewhere.
The basic attitude of white Australia towards indigenous recognition and reconciliation is terrible.