Celeste Liddle

A Yes vote won’t change whose constitution it is; a no vote won’t take the struggle back decades, argues Arrente woman Celeste Liddle.

Arrernte woman Celeste Liddle who has been engaged in Indigenous and social justice movements for a long time, says she is undecided on her vote. Below she sets out her thoughts.

When this debacle around Section 44 of the Australian Constitution started becoming apparent, I found myself amused.

The fact that a group of white politicians were falling victim to a section I believed was inherently xenophobic, particularly when some of those same politicians have been integral in fanning xenophobia to win votes, contained a delicious irony.

Today, thanks to the power of social media, I have come across this despicable act. I am so angry about it that I feel compelled to write something in the 20 minutes I have remaining in my lunch break. The accompanying photo is of the so-called “Uluru bark petition”. It was presented to the federal government, much to the gleeful hand-rubbing of the Liberal Party and particularly anti-marriage equality campaigner Senator Eric Abetz.