The need for self-education and respectful conversations is now.
That is the view of indigenous communities as the country awaits the announcement of a date for the Voice to Parliament referendum.
Misinformation about the Voice to Parliament continues to circulate online and in the district community, but resources have been made available to help you make an informed decision.
Last month, the Australian Electoral Commission released the official Yes and No cases for the Voice on its website, which will be printed and mailed out to Australian households closer to the referendum voting day.
But concerns have been raised after the commission published the Yes/No referendum pamphlet without fact checking the arguments, with the AEC saying it “does not have legislative authority to edit, amend or fact check the yes or no cases”.
The arguments for each case were drafted by politicians from each side of the debate and submitted to the AEC in July.
One of the slogans used in the case for voting no in the referendum pamphlet is “if you don’t know, vote no”.
An alternate slogan suggested though is ‘if you don’t know, fact check it and find out?’.
This is what Indigenous Knowledge Centre hopes the people of Deniliquin and surrounding communities will do.
“We remind everyone that that is a vote of the Australian people, not a political party or of the government,” Yarkuwa’s general manager David Crew said.
“If people want to make an informed decision they should be fully aware of the facts.”
Australia does not have federal laws that enforce truth in political advertising and misinformation, particularly around the Voice, continues to plague social media platforms and media.
In response to this, RMIT FactLab’s CrossCheck unit has launched a public tipline to help “combat the influence of misinformation trends”.
It is a resource Yarkuwa has welcomed.
RMIT FactLab said it is committed to ensuring the historic Voice referendum is not “derailed by false and misleading information”, which can harm people and undermine democratic processes.
On a local level, Yarkuwa is planning to establish a community driven “fact checking system” to help minimise the harm misinformation is causing to First Nations people.
This will include working with the Pastoral Times, sharing fact checking resources and encouraging community group discussions to help combat misinformation.
“We ask that all contributors check the facts of the statements, because often people believe what is printed over what is said,” he said.
Without fact checking misinformation that’s circulating online and in the community, Mr Crew said First Nations people are subjected “to ill informed views”.
He said that can affect them and their families.
“In these scenarios, of course, you worry about the hurt that can be caused with misinformation,” he said.
“Once the misinformation is out there, that’s what people believe. And that misinformation can lead to fear and assumptions.”
Mr Crew reiterated that Yarkuwa’s doors are always open and that they hope to “bring kindness” into the local discussions around what the Voice is all about.
“We would welcome anyone who has questions to discuss with us, mindful of being open minded as we face a critical time in our nation’s history,” he said.
“How can we all work together for the benefit of the whole community?”
He quoted Hugh McKay’s book, The Kindness Revolution: “Could we become a loving country rather than simply a lucky one? What sort of society do we want to become?”
As the referendum voting day approaches, Mr Crew said these are the kinds of questions to think about going forward and asked “what sort of country do we want to be known for?”.
“The Voice will not take away anything from non-Aboriginal people but may improve the lives of Aboriginal people.”
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has yet to announce the date for when the nation will vote yes or no to the Voice, but has said it will be held between October and December.
Some of the resources available to voters are as follows:
RMIT ABC Fact Check - https://www.abc.net.au/news/factcheck.
AAP Fact Check - https://www.aap.com.au/factcheck.
RMIT FactLab’s CrossCheck – https://www.rmit.edu.au/about/schools-colleges/media-and-communication/industry/factlab/crosscheck/voice-to-parliament-referendum.
The Australian Electoral Commission also has an online referendum process disinformation register, which focuses on disinformation about the referendum process rather than fact-checking claims made about the Voice.
You can alert CrossCheck to suspect claims by emailing factlab.tipline@rmit.edu.au.