Up until now, the proposed referendum (which failed over the weekend) has generated a lot of emotion, mostly coming from those in favour of constitutional change rather than those who voted against it. But in one fell swoop, that dynamic has all changed. In a recent press interview, Warren Mundine ‘unleashed’ on the media.

Mundine was responding to a question originally posed to Jacinta Nampijimpa Price about whether Aboriginal people were actually in favour of the Voice, regardless of what the rest of the nation had said. Clearly, large swathes of the media are still coming to terms with the democratic result. Warren Mundine though, was having none of it. And here’s a transcript of what Mundine said:

You know what? People are committing suicide in these communities! People are being raped and beaten, and these are the questions you come up with? Where’s [the questions] about getting results? Of getting people to reduce suicide instead of this nonsense that you people carry on with…

We had a vote tonight that said Australians want to get things done. Well, stop talking about all this other nonsense and start talking about those kids who are as young as nine and ten who are committing suicide in their communities. Those kids who are getting raped and pillaged … and people haven’t got jobs for God’s sake. Wake up to yourselves and start asking real questions and making governments accountable.

As someone who has lived in outback communities myself, I totally agree with what Mundine has said. What everyone in Australia wants right now is real change. Just because 60 per cent of the nation voted ‘No’ doesn’t mean that they don’t want better outcomes for Indigenous peoples. What their vote demonstrates is that they didn’t believe a Voice to Parliament would actually achieve it.

All of which is to say, one can completely understand and even sympathise with Warren Mundine’s impassioned plea for the media elites to wake up to themselves. The people of this country has spoken. Albanese’s proposed Voice to Parliament has been defeated. And most importantly of all, it’s time to look for a better way to care for all Australians.