“Emptiness In My Chest”: Thomas Mayo Reflects On The Referendum No Result

Indigenous Yes campaigner Thomas Mayo was a signatory to the Uluru Statement From The Heart and one of the most vocal figures leading up to the Voice referendum.

He says he’s been left with an emptiness in his chest after the Referendum’s No result.

Now, after a week of silence, Mayo and other Indigenous leaders have written a public letter that does not hold back in expressing their disappointment over the No result in the Referendum.

In the letter, they call the No campaign a shameful act that was appalling and mean spirited. It places blame mostly on two individuals and calls for setting up a Voice without support of a referendum or the parliament.

Thomas Mayo joins Tom Tilley on today’s episode of The Briefing to breakdown the letter.

I don’t think that people that voted no are racist. I think that there was a unprecedented disinformation campaign that we saw in this country. I’m not saying that people are silly, but I do know that people have many other priorities in their life, which is one of the reasons why we wanted a Voice.

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