The Voice Referendum: Concerned First Nations People’s Message to Australia

ENGLISH WORDS TRANSCRIBED VERBATIM FROM CINDY ROBERTFACEBOOK OPEN VOICE HTTPS:// FB.WATCH/L8UGBEGFPR/

“MY people don’t want it. Majority of my people do not want this referendum to go ahead.

My name is Cindy Roberts and I come from the Widjabul tribe. We are a tribe of the Bundjalung Nation and today I just come with a message. Today I want to share about what is going on in this country they call Australia.

As you know come October, we have a referendum that is coming, and they are asking the Australian people to vote yes or no. But before we get to that stage I ask, and I am asking all the people out there in this country, in this great county beautiful country do you honestly know what this is about? Do you know what you are saying yes to? Do you know what you are saying no to? Until we have a balance here of knowing what exactly this is all about with the referendum, what powers are given and what powers are taken.

Even as the first Nations people we talk about sovereignty. We don’t want to lose our sovereignty in this country. This land was never bought or sold; this land was invaded. Within their constitution we have never been apart of the constitution. Even in the 90s, the 1967 referendum they classed us citizens. We became citizens in our own country.

Now you know that is not right even in itself. You can’t become a citizen of somewhere you already belong to.

There were things done through that referendum that disempowered my people. Clauses within their constitution struck out. So, referendums are not always positive and a good thing.

We need to be mindful, and we need to be careful on what the people are saying yes to.

Through the process of these referendums comes trickery. They are not going to tell you that bit so we need to be wise in all our ways.

I come to you today with a message, because I am speaking from the heart. Because I am concerned about this nation. I am concerned about my people;

I am concerned about all Australians. I am concerned about our children, and I am concerned about generations to come.

We need to be protecting this country and you need to know within your heart what is right and what is wrong. And that is the reason why I am here today. To spread a message.

We have a responsibility as a first nations people to look after country. We can’t change history of what has happened, but we can make a difference now. And we need to continue to look after country. All the people who dwell upon our land as first nations people we have to protect them because it is now our responsibility.

Because this is where we struggle, we struggle with a corporation that wants to control, manipulate, disempower. We need the truth, and we need to be telling the truth.

This Australian corporate government needs to be telling the truth on what this is really all about.

Because I don’t know about you mob, but I see darker days if this referendum goes ahead. Because as you know I am not for the referendum as a first nations woman. I’m against.

My people don’t want it. Majority of my people do not want this referendum to go ahead.

Because I can tell you now Australia, they have not consulted my people, my elders of the Bundjalung nation. They haven’t spoken to us in any way shape or form.

The corporation that they established for the voice was established and already registered back in 2019, so this was all planned before it even come to this.

Australia, why are they asking you to say yes. Why are they asking you to vote for this referendum and not my people? Why are they asking you to make a decision for us? Shouldn’t we be making this decision? Shouldn’t we be the ones self determining our own lives, our own affairs for our country to protect all Australians?

Because our sovereignty is under threat. This is why. Believe it or not our sovereignty protects all Australians. Why should my people be put into a constitution that committed genocide from generation to generation to generation in this country?

Why do you think we would want us to be in a constitution that committed nothing but crimes against humanity? Crimes of war against the sovereign. The original people of this land. Why would we want to be in that constitution?

Have you Australia ever asked us that question?

My advice I can only say to all Australia, please don’t put us in that constitution. If you put my people in that constitution we will not only lose our national sovereignty and our rights over our tribal lands, but you will lose our protection as a sovereign people because our sovereignty will be ceded through a corporation.

We are up against a foreign corporation that is running this country, so stop handing them everything on a silver plater Australia and become self determined and stand with the first nations people.

So that is my message to you today Australia. Let’s unite and as you know where I stand, it is a no from me for a voice to parliament.”

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