Triple J radio shocks listeners with an hour-long Voice protest stunt after the referendum was resoundingly defeated

An defiant ABC radio host has responded to the rejection of an Aboriginal Voice to Parliament by playing an iconic Australian protest song for an hour.

Corey Webster, whose Blak Out show plays only indigenous music on national youth radio network Triple J used his Sunday night slot to play Yothu Yindi’s Treaty on a continuous loop.

Before he did so Mr Webster delivered a fiery speech saying Indigenous people ‘ain’t licking our wounds today, we’re sharpening our spears.’

Australia resoundingly voted No to the proposed change to the constitution, with every state rejecting the proposal and only the ACT voting Yes.

‘In this moment I’m broken but I’m not defeated,’ Mr Webster and admitted his daughter had helped him overcome the anger he felt at the result.

Mr Webster, a rapper who performs and hosts as Nooky, and a proud Yuin & Thunghutti man from the NSW South Coast, gave a passionate explanation for his decision to repeat the tune.

‘We did not give up this land and the planting of the Union Jack never changed our laws at all,’ he said, reciting lines from the hit 1991 song Treaty.

‘And it’s that message of hope and survival that you’re gonna hear for the next hour.

‘And trust [me], it isn’t a mistake. We’re gonna repeat this message until it rings true.

‘We will not sit in silence. They will hear us as we rejoice as a people and light our sacred fire in the face of their broken promises. Treaty now.’

He then played the hit 1991 song Treaty for the rest of the hour-long show.  

Mr Webster opened his Sunday evening radio show with a spine-tingling monologue in which he reflected on the personal impact on him and his family.

‘Last night was the most overt unconcealed manifestation of racism I have ever experienced in my whole life; yesterday they said our pain and our suffering continues.

‘The disadvantage and the inequality continues but so does our love our happiness our strength and our pride.’

Mr Webster said his daughter and his grandmother have helped him deal with the pain he felt from the rejection of the Yes vote.

‘Last night amongst the torment I found solace when I sat down with my eldest daughter Olivia.

‘See, it’s our kids we need to be there for right now, but it’s them who hold the power to heal, the power to bring change. When I look at them I see the hope that hasn’t died.

‘I’ve seen the word defeat get thrown around alot this morning [but] hearing my Nan hold herself in such composure in this moment, I didn’t feel defeat.

‘See defeat, that’s when we stop having joy, stop having hope, that’s when we stop loving and caring for ourselves and this land of ours its when we stop being strong and proud of who we are. 

‘We could never lose, we haven’t lost a thing.’

Treaty was the first song by a predominantly Aboriginal band to chart in Australia in 1991, when it won song of the year.

It was the first song to include an Indigenous Aboriginal language to gain widespread radio play internationally.