MBJ _ Matt Bissett-Johnson :) @MBJCartoonist@ #Cartoon for the Melbourne Observer #YES2023 #Yes23 #auspol #alttext

RT by @radeksikorski: “It really was Angela Merkel who stopped Ukraine being given a @NATO membership action plan. We didn’t give them this, we did nothing to bring them closer to NATO. And Putin still did Georgia and Ukraine” @sikorskiradek #YES2023 #VictorPinchukFoundation

🐦🔗: https://nitter.cz/yes_ukraine/status/1701974026544177421#m

[2023-09-13 15:00 UTC]

Today is a sad day for Australian history.

#Australia held a #referendum to decide whether to recognise in the Constitution #Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people as the nation's first people.

The response has been a resounding no.

Personally, I find it a disgrace that the majority of Australians rejected this opportunity and are fine with the status quo.

#referendum2023 #yes2023 #auspol

Spent the afternoon handing out how to votes for the #yes2023 campaign at Kingswood Park Public School. Maybe 250 voters attended over three hours. Most very civil with a couple of gruff "nah not interested" comments the worst of it. My approach was simple- ask if people wanted to know more about Yes. Most voters seem to have made up their minds. A few had no idea what they were voting for

Well, whatever happens tomorrow, I know I did all that I could to move towards true Indigenous inclusion & recognition.
I will be able to tell future generations that I stood for what was right and fair and voted for equity.
If I am one day blessed with children, I will be able to tell them that their Mum fought to have our Indigenous people recognised in our constitution and give them a voice in this country, THEIR country!
I will will forever be able to look back on my choice with pride and know that I stood on the right side of history.

Now...on to treaty!

#Yes #yes23 #Yes23au #yes2023 #VoteYESAustralia #VoteYES23Australia #referendum

Kaya koorda,
Here on beautiful Nyoongar boodja I have voted in the referendum and had a nice gluten free Voice of The People sausage inna bitobread from the Foster Hope fundraiser at Deanmore Primary School.

We also purchased Freedom of Choice spice mixes.

I have voted Yes because all the lovely Aboriginal People that I know would like me to, as would people like Fiona Stanley and it is a clear and legistative step towards a better outcome for our vulnerable and suffering brothers and sisters.

#yes2023 #auspol #australiaVotes #Referendum

#judyhoracek @judyhoracek@ #cartoon: I know this risks the No people coming at me with more 'you-are-nothing-but-sheep' comments, but regardless, here are some sheep! #Yes #Yes23 #YES2023 #alttext

Best of luck to #yes23au
and #QldGreens ahead of the #FirstNations vote tomorrow. #YES2023

#yes2023 @aoir Australian Embassy in Brussels was doing brisk business as a pop-up Australian Electoral Commission outpost for expats (-; gotta love the democratic franchise.

I was proud to be out at pre-poll yesterday to help debunk the many lies of the No campaign.
Lies I heard from No campaigners yesterday:

- Once 'The Voice' is in the constitution it's permanent, it cannot be be take out...FALSE!
Sections can and have been removed from the constitution in the past. In 1967 section 127 was removed along with discriminatory words from section 51.

- That 'The Voice' is racist...WRONG!
Having an Indigenous voice is a mechanism for inclusion and fairness. Fighting for non-Indigenous people to make decisions about Indigenous people is white supremacy/nationalism.

- That there is no need for an Indigenous Voice and we should have just one voice...FRIGHTENINGLY MISGUIDED!
Advisory Committees are established to make improvements to specific sectors; it is why we continue to have climate advisory committees, arts advisory committees, disability advisory committees and more. Should they all be dissolved too so that there is just "one voice"?

One of the two big sales pitches the 'No' side had yesterday, was that the Voice is 'divisive'. How can voting for inclusion be divisive? This should not be a partisan issue, it is Peter Dutton who has made this referendum divisive. This referendum is about voting for inclusion and an opportunity to be heard. How is that divisive?
The second sales pitch is 'if you don't know, vote no'. They are treating YOU like idiots! Are you an idiot? I think not!
If you don't know, find out! There is plenty of information out there for anyone who wishes to search for it. And I am not talking about information from the Yes or No side either. There is plenty of independent information, scholarly articles and history books that will help you understand this particular referendum. Educate yourself, don't let the No campaign gaslight you...I believe you ARE smarter than that!

#yes #yes23 #yes23au #referendum #no23 #auspol #blaklivesmatter #indigenous #yes2023

I’m voting #yes2023 tomorrow.
At this late stage - well, as of a while ago actually - I’m disengaging from all the discussion. I’ve only known for a couple of years that I have Aboriginal blood running in my veins, and even without any connection to language, culture and ALL my mob growing up, this referendum is deeply personal and deeply felt inside my heart. My connection to #Wiradjuri land was always profound, and impossible to actually describe. I thought that was just everyone. It’s not.

What do the mega rich Gina Reinhardt $15.5B, Clive Palmer $2.1B and Marcus Blackmore ~$0.8B have in common? Each is supporting the No position on the Australian Voice Referendum

They each also have just one vote - the equaliser, have your say in 15 days #Yes23

#Saturday14 #October14 #VoteYes #VoteNo #Yes2023 #YesToday #VoiceToParliament

I asked myself this morning why do my loan interest rates go up at the same time costs of goods, petrol, food etc, go up? A quick Google search found an answer; the thinking is that reduced purchasing power will claw back rising costs

Similarly, a quick search on the upcoming Australian Voice Referendum, I came across this summary on why to Vote Yes from the city of Sydney

https://news.cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au/articles/why-vote-yes-in-the-referendum

#Saturday14 #October14 #VoteYes #Yes23 #VoteNo #Yes2023 #YesToday #VoiceToParliament

I asked Google Bard if it was up for a debate on The Voice. It expressed an opinion, unlike ChatGPT.

http://fairding.com/2023/09/24/computer-says-yes/

#referendum2023 #voicetoparliament #thevoice #yes23 #no23 #yes2023 #no2023

With 20 days until the Australian Referendum on The Voice it’s worth reflecting on agency that is given through acknowledgment

“Agency is the sense of control that you feel in your life, your capacity to influence your own thoughts and behavior, and have faith in your ability to handle a wide range of tasks and situations”

A clip Shared with me today from our Māori cousins https://youtu.be/SysBRn0Y9cY?si=Xwdux7P8QFj0G6NP

#Saturday14 #October14 #VoteYes #Yes23 #Yes2023 #YesToday #VoiceToParliament

Just wanted to reiterate that the No campaign isn't a 'grassroots', activist campaign. It is paid for and run by ultra rich elites who fund Advance and Fair Australia. And as Natalie Behjan pointed out today at UTS, it funds and organises 3 separate no agendas, which are targeted at different audiences (one of those is the so-called 'progressive no' agenda).

Here's the kicker: It's a pretty safe bet that these elite funders don't actually care a jot about the referendum. They don't actually care about First Nations issues at all.

What is at stake here is even more sinister. They want "No" to prevail because it affords the far right much more agency, it destabilises and undermines the government, and it will allow much worse forms of political coercion of publics and governments to occur in the future.

Even if you don't think this particular constitutional change is the best designed thing, even if you're a bit iffy about it because it's not enough -- Do not give these far right elites that leverage. They don't actually care about the referendum.

Vote #yes23

For Advance funding background see: https://www.crikey.com.au/2023/02/16/voice-to-parliament-no-campaign-advance-lobby-group/?fbclid=IwAR0y62Y3SoCatrJFCQqZERrdEr49urH3cYoVIxAnI9r1xJOten0ft-uDtoc
if you hit a paywall, similar info is shared here (although you may hit another pay wall, but worth a try... https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/revealed-the-elite-money-behind-the-no-campaign-20230913-p5e4eh.html?fbclid=IwAR1bIMQAiB-e9i2dzMInZuwkJBhsmOPziXBVAMPzC_jKfHli5CE8AmN52lM

#yes23 #yes2023 #2023referendum #voicetoparliament

Even MC Hammer has done his research and supports #Yes23 for #TheVoice

“I had to get up to speed. I read this article below. I’m with you. 🙏🏾
Australia it’s time. Repair the breach.
#Yes2023

Australia has no treaty with its Indigenous people, and has done little in comparison to other British dominions like Canada, New Zealand and the United States to include and uplift its First Nations people.” Via Twitter

https://x.com/mchammer/status/1704835837983379774?s=61&t=JJuSa--kJdX04FADgZO2KA

Uluru Statement from the Heart, May 2017

“In 1967 we were counted, in 2017 we seek to be heard. We leave base camp and start our trek across this vast country. We invite you to walk with us in a movement of the Australian people for a better future”

24 Days until Australian Referendum 2023

#Saturday14 #October14 #VoteYes #Yes23 #Yes2023 #YesToday #VoiceToParliament

https://www.facebook.com/share/v/dJrdZoTShMX2hcJj/?mibextid=d1j6Aw

“If you are not open or proud of the way you vote, the way you perceive the world, perhaps it’s time to take stock”

Tarla Lambert Women’s Agenda

#Saturday14 #October14 #VoteYes #Yes23 #Yes2023 #YesToday #VoiceToParliament

https://womensagenda.com.au/politics/no-voters-arent-proud-of-their-decision-its-why-most-of-them-stay-silent/