Australia’s ‘voice’ for Indigenous people failing to win support
The IndependentFor free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. open image in gallery Local residents walk up a hill overlooking Alice Springs at sunset open image in gallery An Aboriginal freehold land site is marked in the MacDonnell Ranges, near Alice Springs open image in gallery Teacher Tarna Andrews sits in the school grounds in Areyonga “We don’t see people coming from the government, coming and talking about what we need,” Andrews, who is Indigenous, said in an interview. open image in gallery A man walks across a park towards town in Hermannsburg, near Areyonga open image in gallery Local residents Jonathan and Rosemary walk by the takeaway shop in Hermannsburg open image in gallery Indigenous healthcare worker Sarah Gallagher, 48, at a care facility in Areyonga The Voice had its genesis in the Uluru Statement From the Heart, a 2017 document setting out a roadmap for Indigenous relations with wider Australia. open image in gallery Rosemary and Jonathan use the landline phone booth, as the local phone tower is out of service open image in gallery Land council worker Conrad Malcolm Ratara, 61, poses in front of the dried river bank where his ancestors lived in what is now the Hermannsburg Historic Precinct open image in gallery People rally during the Walk for Yes, hosted by the Yes23 campaign, at the Todd River in Alice Springs While only two people were outright opposed to the Voice, most cited a lack of information about it within their communities and confusion about its purpose. open image in gallery A woman holds up a sign supporting the Voice to Parliament at the Walk for Yes event in Alice Springs open image in gallery Artist Kathy Coulthard, who is Indigenous, walks onto the back porch of her home in Alice Springs Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, whose centre-left Labor government supports the proposal, has described it as a once-in-a-generation opportunity to help close a glaring gap in socio-economic outcomes between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians.