New Australia v old Australia: a yes vote on the voice is a vote for the future | Megan Davis
The referendum’s success will be a monumental achievement but to arrive there we must explain to the country why the voice is needed
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Changing the constitution is a mammoth task. During the regional dialogues for the Uluru statement from the heart, I would recite the record with some trepidation: only eight out of 44 referendums have been successful since 1901. The old people would chortle knowingly, for they remembered the 1967 referendum, when Australians voted yes to the federal power to make laws for Aboriginal people.
They had either been active in the campaign themselves or watched their parents campaign. They were not deterred by the record. They would proudly declare they had received the highest yes vote in the history of Australian referendums. They were earnest in their faith in the fundamental decency of the Australian people. The 2023 referendum campaign will determine whether that faith is misplaced or not.
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