this post was submitted on 18 Sep 2023
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The point of there not being an extremely precise definition of the voice in the constitution is that it can be changed if it's not working. Most parts of the constitution are like this afaik.
What you are being asked is if you support putting a passage in the constitution that would ensure a body with the express purpose of indigenous representation exists.
Bloody hell he literally just said that by reiterating and simplifying the proposal, you not only don't address his concern, but make him more distrustful of proposal.
I don't think the question "if the government is so eager to address indigenous affairs, why haven't they road tested the voice and taken other funding stimulus measures in the 2023 budget?" Is a ludicrous question.
You could increase the amount of senators in the NT! I wouldn't have a problem with that.
The government could do many things, but it's not the question being asked by the constitutional amendment. It's not hard to find the design principles for the voice, something I suspect people wouldn't read even if this wasn't going to referendum.
Wanting to see something for two years first is kind of an excuse to never do anything. It's also not really a good argument for voting no, because the idea is that the "shape" of the voice can be changed if it isn't working. What people are voting on is the concept.
I dunno what else to tell you, that's the proposal and that's where we are. If people are voting no because lack of details there's not much to do to convince them. The government is hardly going to release more details now.
Alot of these arguments are good, however, not in the context of the referendum. The alteration to the constitution is just to guarantee that it exists, the rest is effectively up to the government that we have already elected. Don't like it? Vote for someone else or "make a representation to parliament" by talking with your local member about it. At the end of the day we live in a democracy.