TOM CONNELL, HOST: With just 23 days to go now until the voice referendum, it has been a slightly better week for the Yes campaign in terms of some of the headlines they've been getting following major rallies over the weekend. Let's bring in the Assistant Minister for Indigenous Australians, Malarndirri McCarthy who joins me live from Adelaide. Thanks for your time. Does it feel like sort of the first positive week in terms of media response, in particular for The Voice for a while?
MALARNDIRRI MCCARTHY: Oh look, I've certainly tried to maintain positivity anyway throughout this time. Andrew I think it's been really important to show that we can move this country forward in a way that I hope will see a yes outcome on the 14th of October. And certainly the crowds last weekend when they walked across the country in various states and territories and cities and towns and yeah, that was a real beautiful thing to say and I certainly appreciated that.
CONNELL: I suppose you'll always get fringes of any single campaign, particularly one where you're asking the whole nation to vote on. But has it been disappointing that some of the ill disciplined, if you like, from yes side as well when they sort of graduate to insults for the no campaign? Because you've got to be positive, optimistic and convince the middle ground, if you like, the sort of swinging voters that you've got a good message in and a good campaign to sell.
MCCARTHY: Well, we've got a good message because I, I know that we are asking people to support an advisory committee, a voice to the parliament that can give advice on pieces of legislation and policy that impacts First Nations people. And it is really quite a simple request. And of course, I've consistently asked throughout this year to call on Australians to be respectful in our debate. I love the fact that we're a democracy, Andrew, and that we can agree to disagree and we should do so in respectful ways. And and whenever it hasn't occurred, you know, we do need to call it out. And we certainly have on our side called it out on various occasions in particular in recent days. So and I'd still say that to all Australians, we have still quite a few weeks to go. We must ensure respect as we go forward and, you know, to really look out for each other as well. You know, the pressure is beginning to build in certain areas and all sides of the campaign. And I say to people when I travel. You know, I was just in Alice Springs last night talking to families there that, you know, we should enjoy this. Actually, it's very rare that Australia has referendums and it's quite historic. You know, whatever the outcome, we should enjoy walking towards the 14th of October.
CONNELL: In terms of part of the debate over the past few weeks. It has centered on comments around racism in Australia. Clearly, racism still exists in Australia. I mean, I don't think there's a country without some element of racism. What's your take on how much it is a factor in this campaign, though, in terms of a struggle for support or outright no votes? How much do you think racism is entwined in that?
MCCARTHY: Well, you're right, Andrew. There is some, you know, pockets of racism around the world. And we certainly have them here in Australia. But I think what we're trying to do is also be and find the better part of ourselves as a country. You know, we do need to, you know, be honest, talk truthfully, but also rise above what our flaws are, what our errors are, what our humanity is in terms of some of those things that we don't like. And I think, you know, that's certainly something that I encourage. I do think we can find a better side of our country. And sometimes you have to go through some of the not so good stuff to be able to get there.
CONNELL: So it's a pockets, though. You see it as not a big part, if you like, because if the no side is winning, it means 50 plus. That's a lot of Australians. But you think it's small pockets or pockets of people that there is racism in the country, but for the rest, the rest of the people voting no, what is it? Is it a detailed question? Is it uncertainty? Have they been swayed by calls? This is divisive. Why else is it seemingly failing, at least in the opinion polls?
MCCARTHY: Well, see, again, I have to take you to task with regards to the opinion polls. One of the things and I may have mentioned this the last time we spoke, is that I do think that the poll that matters will be the one that takes place, you know, starting Monday here in the Northern Territory for us with remote mobile polling through to the 14th of October. So I do think that that's the poll that really matters in all of this. And what I have encouraged everywhere I've gone is for people to be respectful, to have hope. This is an opportunity for our country to either keep the status quo of high incarceration rates, of high rates of suicide, about babies birth rates being so low in this country and for stillbirths, you know, double the rate of non-Indigenous people. Do we keep the status quo or do we together take a leap of faith into something that can be far greater, in particular to say the improvements for First Nations people? And I do believe we can do that and we can achieve that.
CONNELL: In terms of how it would achieve that, How do you envisage working in a practical sense so that the make up of the voice, would they be based in Canberra, close to departments, able to lobby politicians based in their communities? A mixture of both. How do you achieve those outcomes in terms of where people are going to be?
MCCARTHY: Well, we have to win the constitutional referendum, and I certainly hope we can. We have parliament two days after the 14th of October, and I have no doubt if we are successful, we will want to move quite quickly into the next couple of sittings of Parliament of this year to start to embark on exactly that. In terms of the model, in terms of working with First Nations people across the country as to how they would like to voice. But clearly we're not there yet. But I am looking forward in the hope that we do have a Yes
CONNELL: It would be a huge job given how many people have worked at closing the Gap and have not outright failed, I suppose, but they're not closing it to the extent that we want to, we need to do. The other question is around resources. Do we need full time salaries, offices, research assistants? All of that is it's going to be quite a big sort of exercise because it's such a huge, huge policy effort. Is that the sort of thing you'll need full time voice people and offices and resources, you know, research assistants, whatever it might be.
MCCARTHY: If we are successful on the 14th, this will be a time then for the Parliament to determine those matters. There is obviously many ways to do that, and I have no doubt that parliamentarians from all sides will have their say as to how to do that. But again, I stay focused towards the 14th of October in the hope that we can win. I mean, it is tough. We've seen referendums in this country, only passed eight of them, you know, out of 44. So there is no doubt in my mind the double majority is a huge effort to try to cross, but I'm remaining hopeful.
CONNELL: Okay. We'll talk to you again, I'm sure in the lead up to that October 14 day. Senator, thank you.