In the final Yes campaign push before the referendum voting day this Saturday, an emotional Anthony Albanese urged Australians to “lift the burden of history” and support the Indigenous Voice to Parliament.
The Prime Minister of Australia travelled to Uluru in central Australia on Tuesday afternoon and received the Uluru Statement From The Heart from a group of 14 Anangu Indigenous women.
The women performed with a song and dance, which symbolised the carrying of a burden that is the referendum.
“The sticks represented the burden of the yes campaign, the burden of feeling the weight of history which is upon us,” he told reporters on Tuesday.
“[We have] the opportunity to lift that burden of history.
“I believe Australia can rise to the occasion between now and 14 October.”
The most beautiful thing about this artwork is the room it leaves for all of us. For all Australians.
— Anthony Albanese (@AlboMP) October 10, 2023
Today I was honoured to meet the Aṉangu women who painted the Uluru Statement from the Heart. pic.twitter.com/lPlXy8DIWk
With just three days to go before Australians vote Yes or No for a First Nations parliamentary advisory body enshrined in the Constitution, Albanese joined Labor MP for Lingiari Marion Scrymgour and Indigenous advocate and Yes campaigner Noel Pearson at the sacred Indigenous site.
The Prime Minister sat down with the Indigenous women and held their hands as they sung a song about lifting their voices together “higher and higher”. presenting his own copy of the Uluru Statement From The Heart.
The video of the women giving him his own copy of the Uluru Statement From The Heart, something the Prime Minister describes as a “masterpiece”, shows Albanese tearing up, moved by the emotional moment.
“On Saturday, Australians can bring the beauty of this art to life with a grey lead pencil and one word – Yes,” he said.
It’s not the first time Prime Minister Albanese has become emotional over the Indigenous Voice to Parliament referendum and the Uluru Statement From The Heart, demonstrating how significant this moment is for him not just as the leader of the country, but also for him as an Australian.
In March this year, when he alongside the Referendum Working Group announced the question that will appear on the referendum ballot paper, Albanese choked up in front of reporters.
“The people who stand with me on this stage… I regard as a great privilege to be standing with the giants of Australia,” he said, taking a moment to compose himself.
“I don’t know if I had their experience in life that I could be as generous and as modest in my request. I would like to think that I would be, but you can’t stand in other peoples’ shoes.
“This is a modest request. I say to Australia – don’t miss it.”
More than 2.2 million Australians cast their vote in early voting polls last weekend. Unless you have registered for a postal vote, which closes tonight (Wednesday October 11), the rest of the country will be expected to attend their local voting location on Saturday October 14 to write Yes or No on the referendum ballot paper.
Votes will begin to be counted at 6pm AEST after voting day, however the Australian Electoral Commission cannot confirm whether a firm result will be announced on the night; it could take days to determine a result.