Australia sets stage for landmark Indigenous rights referendum
Al JazeeraMAY 2023
Australians Vote 'No' in Historic Indigenous Rights Referendum
Image copyright: Asanka Ratnayake/Getty Images
The Spin
Left narrative
Australia's First Nations people have endured generations of discrimination, exclusion, and outright theft. The referendum was a way to try and unite the country, but it failed due to a misinformation campaign that steered the debate away from the core issues. The result damages Australia's image in the world regarding how it treats Indigenous people.
Right narrative
A Yes vote for the Indigenous Voice referendum — a distraction from achieving practical and positive outcomes — would have let politicians widely seen as untrustworthy to create the set of rules governing the body while dividing Australians along racial lines without actually reducing Indigenous disadvantage and marginalization.