Jewish Yes campaigners react to No win
"Though the Yes case is lost tonight, I know that the cause of reconciliation will ultimately succeed."
Australians overwhelmingly voted no in last Saturday’s referendum on the question of whether to alter the Constitution to recognise the First Peoples of Australia by establishing an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice, to the tune of more than 60 per cent nationally, with a majority in all six states.
However in seats with significant Jewish populations – and in most inner city electorates in Sydney and Melbourne – a majority of voters wrote Yes on their ballot sheets, including in Macnamara, Goldstein, Wentworth, Kingsford Smith and Bradfield.
In a message via an October 16 e-newsletter from Stand Up – the organisation that spearheaded the Kol Halev Jewish Voice for Yes campaign – its CEO Courtney Winter-Peters lamented how the referendum’s defeat “was not the result we had worked hard for, but our work does not stop here”.
“Where to from here on the path to justice and self-determination for First Nations people? And what can we do as allies to support our First Nations friends and partners?
“At Stand Up, we are consistently inspired by our Jewish values and commitment to building a better world [and] we will not rest in pursuit of this vision.
“In the coming weeks, we will reflect more on our Kol Halev campaign, and what comes next.
“For now, we want to say that we are proud of everyone who showed up, stood up, and spoke up.
“We particularly want to again thank the Jewish Community Council of Victoria for their early leadership in being our major partner on Kol Halev, along with the many other Jewish community organisations who joined.
“As an organisation, we knew that being vocal in this space was going to be a challenge – we knew there would be doubters – but we knew it was the right thing for us to do.”
Strong campaigner for the Yes campaign, Berowra MP Julian Leeser, resigned in April as shadow attorney-general and shadow minister for Indigenous Australians, when the Liberal Party decided to officially support the No campaign.
He also served as co-chair of the Joint Committee on Constitutional Recognition relating to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples.
In a statement via social media on Saturday night, Leeser said of the referendum’s defeat, “It was always a big ask to change the Australian Constitution, given that since Federation, Australians have only voted to change it eight times.
“I respect the will of the Australian people.
“Naturally, I am disappointed, and my thoughts are with every Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australian who is feeling a sense of sadness tonight.
“Though the Yes case is lost tonight, I know that the cause of reconciliation will ultimately succeed.”
Macnamara MP Josh Burns, also a strong advocate for the Yes campaign, posted on his Facebook page after the referendum result came through, “I know many of us are feeling disheartened by tonight’s results, but the fight doesn’t end here.
“I’m proud of you Macnamara – you showed up strong for a Yes [majority of votes in that seat].
“We will continue to stand with Indigenous Australians, and fight for justice and change.”
Australia/Israel & Jewish Affairs Council national chair Mark Leibler – commenting in an individual capacity, having co-chaired the Expert Panel on Constitutional Recognition of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians, and the Referendum Council that culminated in the release of the Uluru Statement from the Heart – said, “The Indigenous leaders who support the Yes campaign, and for whom I have the greatest respect, have called for a week of silence, so in keeping with that, I will have more to say in a week’s time.”
comments