Voting No This Saturday Is a Vote Against Bullying

Parts of the “Yes” campaign have faltered due to their tone and contempt for the other side.

A campaigner holds a “How to vote No” pamphlet outside a polling centre in the central business district in Sydney, Australia, on Oct. 9, 2023. Lisa Maree Williams/Getty Images

Commentary

I believe that at this Saturday’s referendum on the proposed change to our Constitution, to establish a “Voice to Parliament,” Australians will vote “No” to bullying.

We don’t like bullies, we don’t like elitists, we don’t like lies, and we don’t like people who punch down.

The pivotal event in this campaign will probably prove to be Professor Marcia Langton’s comments when she referred to the No campaign as “racist” and “stupid.” While she later tried to clarify that she meant the campaign itself and not the voters, the damage was done.

Like Hillary Clinton’s “deplorables” moment, ordinary Australian voters felt that they were being verbally abused by an elitist establishment.

That event was soon followed by the disturbing video of another professor—another perceived elite—spitting on a “No” supporter during a confrontation.

Even worse has been the treatment of prominent “No” campaigner Nyunggai Warren Mundine. Mr. Mundine is a successful businessman, a proud Aboriginal man, and a strong advocate for Aboriginal people.

Over the years, he has been an inspirational leader for all Australians. Yet he was bullied into two suicide attempts by people on the “Yes” side.

Australians were then shocked by the callousness of a prominent “Yes” supporter in the media who said that Mr. Mundine’s suicide attempts were “hardly worth a second of sympathy.”

Senator Jacinta Nampijinpa Price has also been abused in public. She also spoke of the pain caused by the bullying she has endured from the “Yes” side.

Graffiti and a “Vote NO” campaign sign is seen outside a home in Perth, Australia, on Oct. 7, 2023. Matt Jelonek/Getty Images

The most recent bullying of “No” supporters came from media celebrity Ray Martin. He referred to “No” voters who bought into a key campaign slogan—“If you don’t know, vote No”—as “dinosaurs”. He later doubled down on his comments when challenged during an interview.

It was so typically Australian then, to see Ms. Price holding up a dinosaur cookie, showing her characteristic sassy personality as she stood up defiantly to the bullies.

The bullying and intimidation have affected ordinary Australians.

People from the No campaign have been hearing from potential booth volunteers that they would like to help on referendum day, but they are hesitant because they fear violence and abuse.

While I believe that there will be no violence, it is crushing to see where Australian society has sunk. Are we really a nation that lives under the shadow of elitist bullies?

Lack of Transparency

Alongside the bullying, Australians believe that they have not been told the truth about “The Voice.”

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has concealed the details of the proposed Voice to change the Constitution from the Australian people. He has ducked, bobbed, and weaved around the issues.

He has even avoided serious questions about the Uluru Statement from the Heart.

Did he mean the one-page, 26-page, or 100+ page document that accompanied the Statement? Australians are still waiting for answers, and we will never learn them until after the referendum.

At the same time, Australians are developing a cynicism toward the public funds devoted to Aboriginal organisations. Most Australians strongly support aid for Aboriginal people, and they believe strongly in “closing the gap.”

A woman handing out brochures walks past referendum promotional posters outside a voting centre in central Sydney, Australia, on Oct. 3, 2023. David Gray/AFP via Getty Images

But the negativity surrounding the Voice campaign has led more Australians to wonder about the billions of dollars being spent by state and federal governments.

Many Australians have started to question where all the money goes, because it doesn’t seem to reach the people most in need.

The lack of openness about The Voice and increasing cynicism about who really benefits led to a short video by larrikin entertainer “Kevin Bloody Wilson” going viral.

Mr. Wilson pointed out his strong support for Aboriginal people, but he said that at over $30 billion a year, “we don’t need a voice we need a [expletive] audit.”

With Australians being sick of the bullies, fed up with the lies, being suspicious of the elites, and wondering where the money really goes, Mr. Wilson’s message resonated strongly.

Australians have a characteristic disdain for bullies.

After the Tiananmen Square Massacre, we fully supported Prime Minister Bob Hawke’s offer of asylum to all 42,000 Chinese nationals living in Australia.

It was partly an act of compassion. It was also an Australian way of thumbing our noses at the bullies in the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).

We did the same when the CCP threatened Australia after our government pushed for an inquiry into the origins of COVID-19.

Despite the threats and the Chinese boycott, we stood firm, earned the world’s respect, and found alternative markets for our exports. Then we watched as the boycott backfired and China experienced serious energy shortages.

Our national character is one reason, perhaps the most substantial reason, why Australians will vote “No” in the coming referendum.

More than the logic of the No case, and more than any other factor, Australians hate bullies, especially when they are media elites or out-of-touch politicians.

The people who will suffer the most are Australia’s Aboriginal people. They have suffered much, and justice demands that we do better for them. But they will not be served by a divisive voice, nor will they be served by bullies.

Views expressed in this article are opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.