Anthony Albanese breaks his silence on the loss of the Voice referendum in Parliament and reveals his reason why it failed
Anthony Albanese has addressed the nation after his proposed Vote in Parliament referendum was soundly defeated.
The teary-eyed Prime Minister admitted that while it was not the result he had hoped for, he respects the overwhelming decision of the Australian people and asked Mr Po’s lawyers to show ‘grace and humility’.
“When we reflect on everything happening in the world today, we can all be thankful that here in Australia we make the big decisions peacefully and equally, with one vote, one value,” he said.
“I never imagined it, nor did I say it would be easy. Very few things in public life are worth doing.’
He accepted responsibility for the heavy loss, but added that he believes the debate about the actual length of the Uluru From the Heart Declaration has swayed some voters.
As of 2017, the Final Declaration was billed as a ‘generous’ one-page, 439-word call to unite Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians.
But during the campaign No Advocate pointed out that the single page is informed by 26 other pages which include calls for reparations, ‘rent’ to be paid and a review of land rights.
But such words were never included in the Declaration itself.
“Debates about the duration of the Uluru Declaration from the heart that no one is serious, in his room… we had pages and pages and weeks and weeks where those issues were portrayed”, said Mr. Albanese.
“So for a lot of people it became a matter of them getting a bunch of information.”
He then joked about questions raised earlier this year, centering on whether the Voice for Parliament would have the ability to consult the central bank on raising the cash rate.
“You know, the Reserve Bank can rest easy now that they won’t be taking interest rate advice before the next meeting,” he said.
“Those were some of the things that were discussed.”
Visibly excited by the result, Mr Albanese vowed his government would continue to fight to improve the lives of Indigenous Australians by working to ‘close the gap’ and advance reconciliation.
“Our nation’s road to reconciliation has often been difficult, steep climbs, uncertain ground, strong headwinds, the road ahead difficult to navigate,” Mr. Albanese said.
“But over the decades there have been difficult moments, moments of hard-won progress as well.
“That is why I say tonight is not the end of the road and certainly not the end of our efforts to bring people together.
“The issues we sought to address have not gone away, and neither have the people of good will and good heart who want to address them.”
The prime minister also called on Australians to unite after the vote.
“This moment of disagreement does not define us and will not divide us. We are not Yes or No voters. We are all Australians.’
