Australia is having a Referendum on Saturday 14 October 2023 and is an opportunity for a change in direction for this nation. What's it all about?
Some big picture ideas are best explained as a story.Think of 4 kids of different heights. They all want to watch a footy game being played on a field, but they're standing behind a boundary brick wall.
Child 1 is taller than the wall by a head so can see fine. Child 2 is taller than the wall by ½ a head so eyes clear the fence but nose presses into the wall. Child 3 is shorter than wall height by a head and Child 4 is shorter again than Child 3.
Equality is like giving everyone the same sized box. Kid 1 doesn't need it so the box is wasted. Kid 2 can use a box but only half of the full-height box. Kid 3's eyes now clear the wall but nose presses into the wall and Kid 4 needs more height than just 1 box.
Equity is taking the full box from Kid 1 and giving it to Kid 4 so with a two stacked boxes can now see. Cutting Kid 2's box in half to add a half to Kid 3's box means Kid 3 now also has a more comfortable vantage point.
So an equitable result is a fuller understanding that everyone's starting position is different. Finite resources are more efficiently shared when each individual's needs are considered. For a fairer result in mind, it is in all our interests when everyone feels that there is a recognised space for their voice to be heard.
Voting Yes means you're ready for Australia to embrace its Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders (aka First Nations) as part of the present and future in a way that has been denied by Colonialism for over 235 years.
