You can read the final report of the Referendum Council here. The Referendum Council was appointed to advise…on progress and next steps towards a successful referendum to recognise Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples in the Australian Constitution. The Prime Minister’s statement here. Written (!) for dverse – the poet’s pub where Victoria is hosting and asked us to write a ‘found poem’
Peter Frankis writes 
I think sometimes a no to those snollygosters suffice.
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Unfortunately, this was a ‘no’ to a body which the Government had established – which had consulted widely – at great expense – and which had fairly reported on the aspirations of Australia’s first people.
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We would do well to have more government documents reduced to their simplest meaning. It seems many political writers are masters of obfuscation.
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I think in this case, they were pretty clear about squashing the aspirations of Australia’s First People
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There’s a sad story represented here, and the “no” is a crushing blow that resounds through the billabongs and belonging places.
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It’s a disgrace
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Brilliantly strong – strips away the blah, blah, blah and goes to the heart of the matter in a most striking way.
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I am not familiar with the situation, but the single word “no” comes in strong by its simplicity.
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Genius! That one word summarised the government’s stance.
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The severity. Censure. Censor. The very idea that a decision is ‘black and white’. This is a nice bit of editorialising, Peter.
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I guess that ‘no’ says it all.
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Yep. As one of the respected elders who led the reconciliation council said “if you (Prime Minister) didn’t want to hear what we had to say, why did you ask?”
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