Nick Cameron Q&A: Why he supports the Voice to Parliament

As the son of respected Elder Aunty Patsy Cameron AO, chair of the Melythina Tiakana Warrana Aboriginal Corporation, director of the Tasmanian Aboriginal Legal Service, and the Voice Referendum Group Tasmanian community representative - the Voice to Parliament is not an issue Mr Cameron takes lightly.

The Indigenous leader says the yes camp's message is one of "optimism" in response to prominent "no" campaigner Senator Jacinta Nampijinpa Price calling the Voice "pointless virtue signalling".

The Examiner sat down with Mr Cameron to explore why he supports the "Yes to Voice" campaign.

This is an important opportunity, an opportunity which will mean two things for Indigenous Australians. The first thing is recognition of our people within the constitution, our founding document. This is something that I think a majority of people across Australia would support. I think if it were just about recognition within our constitution, we would have a lot more support. It would probably be very similar to the '67 referendum. However, that symbolic recognition alone will not fix the problems we have. As a community across Australia, we need to be able to do something different. We can't keep doing the same things we are doing right now. So we're asking the Australian people to consider giving us a voice to the people who make the decisions about our lives. So we can actually have some practical outcomes through this process. So not only do we have the recognition side of it, which is extremely important, but we also have some practical outcomes. I think this is a moderate proposal. And it gives us the ability to be able to achieve something practical and do it quickly.

The constitution is there to protect Australians, yet it clearly is not having a positive impact on Aboriginal people. If you look at closing the gap, which you can't deny is in every single jurisdiction of Australia, every single state and territory, and every single community, there is clear evidence that Aboriginal people are not equal to Australians. We are not equal in life expectancy, incarceration rates, birth rates, mental health, and youth suicide. It's clearly demonstrated we are not equal with all Australians. Therefore, the constitution is not doing what it needs to do for Aboriginal people. There are some people who believe that the constitution is a document that should never be changed. Well, it was written in 1901; Australia has changed, and the constitution should evolve and develop with Australia as it changes. So our argument is this: It's not working for us now, so we have to change it.

One of the most important things about the Voice, and why I support it very strongly, is the Voice will be different for each jurisdiction. Aboriginal people in Tasmania are culturally unique people, and we have a unique story. And we have culturally unique issues. Aboriginal policy is often painted with a broad brush, which does not work. We have unique communities, so we need unique solutions. And we need input into these solutions by people with lived experience. The Voice to Parliament will offer this.

There is significant evidence that 80 per cent of Aboriginal people support the Voice to Parliament. But Aboriginal communities are a democracy; they're no different from any other community, so you're never going to have everybody supporting the same position. Some people want treaty as the top priority. I still want treaty. But treaty is going to be complex, it's going to be difficult, it's going to be challenging, and it's going to take a lot of time. And that time will not allow us to improve the problems we've got right now. We've got to be reasonable in what we can achieve. Are they achievable in the current environment in Australia? I'd say probably not. The Voice to Parliament will allow us to make some tangible changes to improve the lives of Indigenous Australians now. It's not perfect, but it will help. In my role as I go across Australia, I have been involved in lots of other engagement groups and met many people who are telling me very clearly the majority of people across the nation support what we're proposing.

We have six weeks until the referendum date, and I think as the campaign ramps up and people become more engaged, they will start to ask questions. I'd have to say that the "No campaigners" don't have a very strong story to tell. It's a very negative story. They are saying that the Voice will cause the constitution to blow up, and the roof will fall in. But we know from experience that this won't happen. When the apology happened, Peter Dutton said it would cost Australia millions of dollars - it didn't. During the marriage equality debate, people said the whole fabric of our society was going to be changed - it didn't. This referendum will impact the lives of approximately 3.5 per cent of Australians. It will change their life significantly. But for 96.4 per cent of Australia, life will go on post-referendum like nothing has changed at all. So I say to people, "Don't be fearful of the rhetoric, don't be fearful of the misinformation". It will not impact your life directly. However, we need you to Vote Yes, and we need your hearts to be open to it. Otherwise, we can't get it done.

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