Mixed takes as Australia marks Voice referendum anniversary

The Voice referendum is being remembered as both a “waste of time” and a “painful day” as Australia marks one year since voters said no.

On October 14 last year, more than 60 per cent of Australians voted against the Voice, which would have given Indigenous Australians a permanent body to advise parliament on issues affecting First Nations peoples.

Emotions ran hot, especially in the months leading up to the vote, as the Yes and No campaigns duked it out in a vicious battle of ideas fought in an environment rife with misinformation.

A year on, Coalition Indigenous Australians spokeswoman Jacinta Nampijinpa Price said the Voice was “a waste of time”.

“I think it was a task that ended up dividing our country and at a time we don’t need to be divided,” Senator Nampijinpa Price told the ABC on Monday.

“And, unfortunately, the Albanese government put all their eggs in one basket and failed to address issues regarding Indigenous Australians, marginalised Indigenous Australians and certainly didn’t have any back-up plan for the failure.”

The referendum was indeed a flagship item on the Albanese government’s agenda.

Anthony Albanese drew significant heat from opponents of the Voice who accused him of not being clear enough on treaties and trying to give one group of Australians preferential treatment.

In recent months, the Prime Minister drew criticism from Voice supporters over his “fuzzy language” about the future of Indigenous representation and engagement.

Federal minister Murray Watt told the ABC the anniversary was “going to be a pretty painful day for First Nations Australians”.

“There were a lot of hopes invested in the Voice to parliament proposal and of course we saw the overwhelming majority of First Nations people support the Voice to parliament, so I do want to recognise that pain that people will be feeling today,” he said.