Federal Parliament has wrapped up its final sitting day ahead of next month's indigenous voice to parliament referendum. The government insists a "yes" vote on the October the 14th will set the nation on a path towards greater respect for Australia’s first nations while the opposition says it's a proposal built on lies.
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00:00 Just in the towns we went through, and I was talking to Dean Park about it, and I said,
00:07 "Geez, we've found there's been a lot of support for the voice and the Yes campaign."
00:12 Obviously, we had people along the way who were, you know, who were no voters, but some
00:20 of those people came on the walk, and some of our walkers actually convinced them, you
00:24 know, why, and asked them why, you know.
00:26 And that was another great thing of it.
00:30 What arguments do they employ?
00:31 I'm interested in that.
00:32 So, they've come and joined you, shoulder to shoulder, and how do you sway them?
00:38 Well, just telling your story, you know, while we walked 19 years ago, I said it was different
00:43 back then, you know.
00:45 Obviously, any voice that we did have, the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander, it
00:50 disappeared, it had been abolished by John Howard.
00:53 This time, we were working for an opportunity to be enshrined in our constitution, and about
00:59 having a voice and having a say on matters.
01:04 And telling our story while we did this, and asking people where was the love, you know,
01:10 and we're talking about just the oldest culture on the wall.
01:13 You know, in the constitution, we've left off the firstborn.
01:17 We've left off the firstborn in this nation, you know.
01:20 I wasn't just doing it, there were other people in the group talking why they were here.
01:24 And everyone had a different story, but everyone had a different passion and why they were here.
01:29 Of course, and you attracted so many followers and fellow walkers along the way.
01:34 Jacinta Numpigimpa-Price is giving a speech on behalf of the No campaign today.
01:39 There's been so much debate in and around this place, as you would expect, in recent weeks.
01:44 She's warned at the outset that the entire process might risk being divisive.
01:50 As you look at Indigenous communities alone, with which you are familiar, do you fear,
01:56 whichever way this goes, that division might be a legacy from the 15th of October onwards?
02:04 Well, I suppose, I suppose we're probably optimistic.
02:10 In the last, probably 19 days, you know, we've been focusing on the Yes campaign.
02:17 And that's been my focus, you know, time and spending with people.
02:22 And we've felt that. We've felt that love from the people.
02:24 We've felt that support from the people.
02:27 Yes, there is a lot of noise out there, but we've got to move on as a country.
02:32 We've got to move on as people.
02:34 And if you talk about division, you know, we're talking 1901, you know,
02:40 our birth certificate of this nation, our constitution.
02:46 Division started back then.
02:48 This is when Aboriginal people were left off as, you know, the birth certificate of our nation.
02:54 So there's been division from a long time.
02:56 And you obviously approach this on the basis that this is the one and only shot, right?
03:01 So talk of a second referendum, if this goes down, I take it doesn't cut much with you.
03:08 No, it's a bit like, you know, we've got probably the last quarter.
03:12 We talk about football and terminology.
03:17 You know, our outset is about to win the campaign.
03:21 And we're nearly there, you know, and like all good teams, you know,
03:29 last quarter efforts, you know, 14th of October, you know, we plan to win this.
03:34 to win this.
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