Indigenous leaders break their silence, call referendum defeat 'appalling and mean-spirited'

Indigenous leaders who supported the Yes case at last week’s Voice referendum have written to the prime minister saying the No vote was a “shameful victory”. Key points: The letter said the constitution belongs to "white people" and no reform of it that "includes our peoples will ever succeed" The letter attributed the historic referendum loss to a lack of bipartisanship, as well as "lies in political The ABC understands some Aboriginal leaders have distanced themselves from the statement, and did not want their names associated with it "That people who came to our country in only the last 235 years would reject the recognition of this continent's First Peoples — on our sacred land which we have cared for and nurtured for more than 65,000 years — is so appalling and mean-spirited as to be utterly unbelievable a week following," the letter reads. In an open letter to Anthony Albanese, as well as MPs and senators, Indigenous leaders said the constitution belongs to "those who the founding fathers intended it for". The statement says it is made up of "collective insights and views of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander leaders, community members and organisations who supported the Yes campaign." Support for Indigenous Australians Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander crisis support line 13YARN on 13 92 76 eSafety Commission's First Nations resources The Indigenous leaders who endorsed the letter attributed the historic referendum loss to a lack of bipartisanship, as well as "lies in political "The support for the referendum collapsed from the moment Liberal and National Party leaders, Mr Dutton and Mr Littleproud, chose to oppose the Voice to Parliament proposal after more than a decade of bipartisan support," the letter reads.