Voice referendum coming to an end, work to do after result

Sitting on the makeshift cardboard voting booth counter in front of me was the question which, seemingly, had divided the nation.

That almost insignificant sized piece of paper asking me whether I agreed to change the Australian Constitution and head towards a path of recognition and reconciliation.

MORE NEWS:

'A Proposed Law: to alter the Constitution to recognise the First Peoples of Australia by establishing an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice.

Do you approve this proposed alteration?'

That was the question I pondered alongside the dozen or so people also in line and the other dozen or so people already ahead of me casting their vote in this historic referendum.

At the early voting centre on Bath Lane, the collection bins which were marked for local residents and those from out of town were already nearing capacity come my 1pm lunchtime vote.

In the queue behind me were people awash with 'Yes' t-shirts and badges, unashamed to show they believed in the Voice to Parliament.

Outside along the footpath were members from both factions handing out cards.

As of October 11, out of the 113,925 people registered to vote in Bendigo, 26.64 per cent, or about 30,300 people, have voted in the pre-poll period while more than 10 per cent have applied for a postal vote.

Nationally, out of the 17.6 million people registered to vote, 3.5 million have visited an early voting centre and more than 2 million people have applied for a postal vote.

This turnout rivals the early votes in last year's Federal Election, according to the Australian Electoral Commission.

Now, I am not going to try and change your mind in this article and I believe it is safe to say most people have already determined what they will write on the ballot paper.

What I will say is although I hope a yes vote will be victorious, I completely understand there is a chance I will be wrong.

That is the way democracy goes, you win some and you lose some.

What we need to be mindful of come October 15 is that whatever the outcome of the Voice referendum, we all have a responsibility to help heal our country of its sins committed towards Indigenous people.

That is irrespective of whether you are voting yes and hoping the Voice advisory body will be created or whether you are voting no under the belief that the Voice does not do enough to close the gaps.

We all need to stand together after this referendum and commit ourselves to bettering our society and patch together the wounds which have been opened during this national debate.

READ NOW:

It is no good voting no under the guise that enough is not being done to help Aboriginal people and then continue to do nothing once the referendum is in the rear view mirror.

If a no vote succeeds we need to pressure our leaders and push them to steer us in a direction where there are tangible outcomes which will better the lives of Aboriginal people in Australia.

We have now found ourselves at a point where the conversation has been sparked on a national scale and the wrongs of the past have been laid out.

It would be morally wrong to ignore these problems and go back to pretending they do not exist.

When you are casting your vote this week, vote with your conscience but please be mindful that whatever the outcome of the referendum, the work is just beginning for real reconciliation.

Digital subscribers now have the convenience of faster news, right at your fingertips with the Bendigo Advertiser app. Click here to download.