Lidia Thorpe says Voice referendum was ‘shoved down our throats’ – as a ‘disappointed’ Richard Marles concedes ‘Australia got it right’ after every state voted No

Lidia Thorpe has slammed the Voice referendum claiming it was ‘shoved down the throats’ of Indigenous people. 

Senator Thorpe, who opposed the Voice because she said it did not go far enough and labelled it ‘window dressing for constitutional recognition’, said the referendum had been harmful.

‘We’re told it’s going to be good for us, and if Australia doesn’t support us in that Australia doesn’t love us,’ she told ABC radio on Sunday.

‘Well, I think that’s a really wrong narrative to begin with. And that’s why people are hurting so much today.’ 

Her comment comes on the back of a crushing referendum defeat on Saturday with every state in Australia voting No. 

Deputy prime minister Richard Marles conceded on ABC’s Insiders that Australians had ‘got it right’ when he was probed by host David Speers on whether the country voted the right way.

Senator Thorpe called on the Albanese government to establish a ‘truth and justice commission’, in the style of the South African one established in 1996 to address the injustices and heal the wounds of the Apartheid system of racial segregation.

‘The government can do [that] next week. Tomorrow in Parliament when I’m there,’ she said.

‘They can also stop all of the deaths that happen in our communities. They can send the money that they need to keep the community going.’

Mr Marles admitted he was disappointed following the result on Sunday, but conceded he would respect the vote of the Australian people.

‘The Australian people always get it right, and we acknowledge the result of this referendum,’ he said.

‘Obviously for those of us who are supporting the Yes campaign, it wasn’t the night we hoped for and I am disappointed, but the Australian people always get it right, and we absolutely accept this result.

‘What this means is that Australians don’t want to see this pursued through a change to the Constitution.’

Mr Marles said Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, who made a televised speech and answered journalist questions on Saturday night as the Voice slumped to a thumping defeat, and the Labor government ‘took responsibility’ for what the poor result.

However, he argued that the referendum was the result of a long process that began under Coalition governments and Labor had promised both Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians they would hold it.

‘It was the commitment we made at the last election, that we would take this to the Australian people and we honour our commitments and so what we have done is followed through on that,’ Mr Marles said.

‘So, I don’t have any regrets that we took this to a referendum. 

‘That said, obviously we completely accept the result, and the result is clear, that in moving forward, we are not moving forward by virtue of changing the Constitution, and the Australian people have spoken very clearly about that.’

Although he did say the Coalition’s decision to oppose the Voice was a hurdle but maintained it wasn’t an insurmountable one and did not dent his government’s resolution.

Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles says he accepts the Australian people ‘got it right’ on the Voice

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese addressed the nation on Saturday night after it became the Voice had been defeated in the referendum

‘The moment that it became a contested referendum in that sense, the moment it stopped being bipartisan, this became much more difficult,’ he said.

‘We were completely aware of that. Absolutely, because there are times where difficult things are achieved. 

‘Did we understand that it was more difficult? Of course we did.’ 

Mr Marles said his thoughts were with Indigenous people experiencing a sense of desolation over the failed referendum.    

‘Certainly, my sadness today, I feel most acutely in terms of how this does bear on Indigenous Australians,’ he said.

‘They will be hurting and you see that in the comments you referred to. 

I think they requires all of us in this moment to be embracing Indigenous Australians.’

On the more positive side he said both sides of the debate had expressed concern for social and economic disadvantage suffered by Indigenous people and even if they differed on how to tackle that but that was grounds for finding agreement.    

‘I do feel as I said, I hope there’s an increased appetite to act on closing the gap,’ he said.

‘I definitely feel this is not a vote against reconciliation. 

‘I think it is important as we seek to bring the country together, we have a particular focus on Indigenous Australians because I can completely understand how there will be a feeling of hurt on their part today. This is a long journey.’