The governing elite and their backers in Australia could certainly use some help. The citizens of this country voted an emphatic “No” to The Voice on the weekend. Were the citizens of this country voting against a constitutional voice or did they finally wake up weeks ago and realise the difference between Bad policy versus good policy
The governments own website has some great information on how to develop policy
Overlaying the recent Voice campaign onto these 4 policy lifecycle stages, it is easy to see what went wrong.
Clear on Intent
The details were not clear because they did not exist, there was plenty of vibe and feeling but sadly no detail on how it would actually work to deliver a measurable outcomes.
Well Informed
If multiple sides of the argument were considered in this policy it did not appear that way in reality. If a wide range of people were engaged and their opinions considered instead of being ignored then we would not have ended up with such strong division and rejection.
Practical to Implement
Again not enough detail on what actions would be taken to deliver a measurable outcome. There was plenty of practical fact hiding and derision but no plan on how it would work for the people suffering a real long term solution.
Influential
There certainly were a lot of influencers involved, from rockstars to celebrities, but the voting public saw through the false façade of the elites and decided it knew what was best.
The hard questions and retribution will come thick and fast as politicians capitalise on the overwhelming public response and leverage it for their own personal or party gain.
I have refrained from providing to much commentary on the Voice over the past few weeks because people were sick of having it rammed down their throats especially in places that should be devoid of politics.
Here are my observations over the last few weeks….
- Shule(s) are no place for politics. The people at my shule who thought it necessary to hand out booklets on Yom Kippur, please use your common sense and show some respect to the rest of us. Shule is not the place and Yom Kippur is not the time.
- We are not racists because we voted no. We voted no because the government failed to develop a comprehensive plan that we could buy into. No one in their right mind except the naïve and uneducated would vote for a policy so devoid of detail. We are not lemmings.
- There are many of us directly and indirectly holding shares in superannuation funds and many of us would be shocked to see shareholders money being given to a cause without any vote or permission. Companies primary purpose is to provide a return to shareholders. If shareholders want to donate their own money to a cause it is their right. Top public companies backing the voice were Qantas, Wesfarmers, Rio Tinto, BHP, Coles, Commonwealth Bank, NAB, Newcrest Mining, Telstra, Transurban, Westpac, Woolworths, Insurer IAG, Origin Energy, BP, Australian Unity and Xero.
- The Jewish Community Council of WA made every affect to provide a platform for the Yes vote. It disregarded calls by the community for neutrality and forgot why it exists and what it’s main mission is in Jewish society. It looks more like a radical left wing activist group body searching for popularity and kudos, rather than an organisation representing our community to the outside world.
