Daily Advertiser letters: Scrapping Australia Day celebrations 'absolute rubbish'

Let's hope Wagga Wagga City Council doesn't follow suit this is a very important day on the calendar and in no way shape or form should our celebrations be cancelled too.

I'd reckon there would be a lot of very unhappy people if this was to happen and not only that the date the celebrations are held on should always be January 26th and no other alternative date.

Let's defend our National Day and not cancel it this is absolute rubbish and it's about time that we as a nation wake up to it.

I read with interest the letters recently which put forward the perceived lack of detail about how The Voice will operate, should the referendum be successful.

I get the impression however that this is just one excuse to deny a successful referendum.

I can understand that people feel impatient waiting for such details but let us perhaps consider how long the Indigenous peoples of this wonderful country have been asked to wait, and how often that waiting has been in vain.

Our First Nations peoples have been asked repeatedly for their opinions, they have been gathering to discuss issues for over one hundred years, and once The Voice is fully realised, they will help create the legislation which will give it a shape that works. That shape could adapt over coming years to changing conditions and awareness, it might never be set in cement. The 'details' are a political process, the referendum instead, is about justice and many people across the political spectrum support it.

First Nations peoples are experts at discussing issues, we have not been good at listening.

The composition, functions, powers and procedures of The Voice are details that will be discussed by both sides of Parliament when we finally have a Yes vote.

There have been so many reports, broken promises, hearts broken, and so much intergenerational trauma is evident, let us listen!

We have asked, the First Nations people have spoken, let us listen and vote 'yes'.

Please visit Riverina for Yes for further details.

Your correspondent, Bryan Pomeroy (Letters July 27) is concerned that he does not know what the wording of the referendum question is, and presumably will be voting no to The Voice for this reason.

Fortunately, the proposed referendum question and proposed clause to be inserted in our constitution can be viewed at the Australian Electoral Commission website.

The proposed referendum question is "To alter the Constitution to recognise the First Peoples of Australia by establishing an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice"

The proposed clause to be inserted into our constitution is:

"Chapter IX-Recognition of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples

129 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice

In recognition of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as the First Peoples of Australia:

(i) there shall be a body, to be called the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice;

(ii) the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice may make representations to the Parliament and the Executive Government of the Commonwealth on matters relating to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples;

(iii) the Parliament shall, subject to this Constitution, have power to make laws with respect to matters relating to the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice, including its composition, functions, powers and procedures"

The term "proposed" may challenge some but this is the only status the question and the clause can have prior to the referendum.

Also of interest on the AEC website is the section called "Disinformation Register". Its stated purpose is:

"This register lists prominent pieces of disinformation the AEC has discovered regarding the announced referendum on the Voice to Parliament. It also provides details of actions the AEC has taken in response.

The AEC is not responsible for fact-checking claims about the Yes or No case for a referendum, and we do not seek to censor debate in any way. However, when it comes to the referendum process, we conduct, we're the experts and we're active in defending Australia's democracy."

Bryan, I hope this information is of some assistance.

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