The Government of the day will be able to completely ignore them like they ignore climate scientists and environmentalists.
This is how it is supposed to be. They're ignored, but so is everyone else. We all wish that the government would only listen and act on our preferences and beliefs, but the system is designed so that every Australian citizen receives one vote to elect their preferred representative and we must engage with that elected representative to guide parliament.
There are always going to be lobbyists, special groups, or even corruption that interfere with this system, but these are issues that can be managed by legislation and government processes. Indigenous Australians already have The National Indigenous Australians Agency (NIAA), employing 1,023 full time staff and a budget of $285M each year specifically for the purpose to "lead and influence change across government to ensure Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples have a say in the decisions that affect them."
Regardless of race or ancestry, let's all be ignored by government equally.
I think some of the "No" reasons are valid questions to ask, so simply brushing them off as irrational is not going to win over anyone sitting on the fence. When I have spoken with family & friends, some of their uncertainty and concerns can be found amongst the ten No arguments.
For example, the question of inequitable representation (point #3 of the No arguments) is a fair one. Shouldn't all Australians, regardless of their gender, race, or ancestry be represented equally in the Constitution?
In 1962, all Indigenous Australians were given the fair right to vote, giving them the same level of voice and representation as that of any Australian citizen. This resolved the issue of equal voting rights, which allows all Australians to have their voice equally represented in parliament. The Voice would now add an additional representation above what voting provides to the average Australian and it will be mandated in the Constitution.
Which personal factors determine if one can be awarded this additional amount of representation? Do you have to prove you are Indigenous by way of a blood test, a written exam, a form of ID, or just by stating that you identify as an Indigenous Australian? I even know of some people who have claimed benefits of Indigenous Australians (e.g. scholarships) when they themselves were Pacific Islander. How pure does your bloodline need to be in order to receive additional representation?
This quote was interesting from the Deputy Premier on ABC Radio Melbourne:
Jacinta Allan said the higher than expected costs became apparent to the government in recent weeks.
"We've been going through a tender process, we've been going through market soundings, where you're presented with the actuals — not the estimates," she said.
The deputy premier said the original $2.6 billion budget estimate was figured out by consulting firms engaged by the government, including EY.
Apparently, the government has no idea how to budget properly and then needs to spend money on consultants to check the numbers.
The article is definitely worth reading for more context. Basically, Woolies can find it challenging to secure land for new supermarkets, so proposing to build apartments above the supermarket makes it easier for them to gain city/state approvals.
If town planners at the city and state level are competent, they could use this opportunity to mandate that Woolies build affordable or public housing as their proposal.
Notice how they continually refer to "rights" as if they are careful to only address that word specifically. I wonder what their response would be if the question was whether the Voice would be giving unfair representation to Australian citizens of a particular background.
As they point out, other bodies makes representations to Parliament, but none of those required a constitutional amendment yet they seem sufficiently represented.
Regardless of race or ancestry, let's all be ignored by government equally.