Way back in August 2022, when the Voice proposal was riding high with approval numbers in the 70% range I wrote in these pages:

"...as the campaign to get this through gears up and the voters find out just how little detail the government is prepared to release, I suspect those more concerned with the welfare of the nation rather than the warm inner-glow, will be reconsidering their original agreement with the Voice."

I can't tell you how chuffed I am to have been so prescient so early.

But of more interest to me is the lack of understanding shown by our elite and leadership. If I could see in August 2022 how this would play out, why couldn't they? The obvious answer is that they, from Albanese and the aboriginal elite on down, while claiming to be of and from the people, are so disconnected from the people they lord it over that they have little understanding of the average citizen's views or needs.

The pro-Voice elite thought they could sneak this through by bullying and cajoling the people into giving them a blank cheque for change. But the people, as was always going to be the case, weren't going to be conned into giving the elite a free-hand to re-imagine the nation.

While Dutton came down on the side of the people fairly early, he only got there because of the efforts of those in his midst. Ultimately the real political winner from all of this debacle is Jacinta Price who, despite unrelenting shaming her 'mob', and vicious attacks by the woke elite, remained true to her mission. Her speech last night following the release of the results was a wonder to behold. In a better Australia, she would be talked of as a future PM.

The elite (ABC etc) are carrying on today as though the people let them down. But in fact the people saved the nation from the disaster that a constitution Voice would have been. Unfortunately, I suspect, the pro-Voice elite will draw all the wrong conclusions from their humiliation.

Particularly the non-revenue producing, Govt coffer-emptying Academic elite with all their experts & consultants & arty-farty social engineering hangers-on.

Post truth mhaze,

You are at it again.

Dutton was repeatedly approached to agree to the recommendations of the Calma Langton report as the agreed details.

"In the meeting, Indigenous barrister Tony McEvoy was authorised by the Indigenous leadership to put an offer to Dutton: if the Yes leaders and Labor agreed to adopt all the specifications of a proposed advisory body outlined in the 2021 Langton-Calma report, would he agree to support it? Dutton equivocated.

The report posed a 24-member model for the Voice, with Indigenous representatives drawn from all states and territories chosen by their communities and serving fixed terms. It answered questions Dutton was asking about how the body would function.

Yes leaders lobbied Dutton hard. Parkin met him. Pearson, who held dozens of meetings with Coalition MPs, spoke to the Liberal leader several times. Pearson believed Dutton’s preference was to delay the referendum until next term."

http://www.theage.com.au/politics/federal/the-devil-in-the-details-inside-the-yes-campaign-s-defeat-20231010-p5eb6h.html

He wouldn't do it.

Yes leaders lobbied Dutton hard.
SteeleRedux,
So ? Just because they lobby should mean their proposals should be accepted ? How about trying to think that lobbying for unworkable policies will mean that the provider will naturally rject them. That has been the problem all along. Unworkable demands ! Lobby for workable solutions & the lobbying will invariably be successful, that's not rocket science, just plain common sense !
How about if the logical & sober thinkers thinkers lobbied the indigenous for co-operation & commitment to effort, do you think they'd be in agreement ?
Ask the indigenous millionaires & generously paid token bureaudroids among the indigenous how much they have given to charity in comparison to non-indigenous ?
Lobby for declaring how much is being spent on excessive air travel for indigenous or even better, lobby for an audit of the NIAA ! What cooperation to you think we could expect to our lobbying ?

Thanks mhaze for your prescience. Kudos.

Stoolreflux,

The Calma Langton report was written by activists and was wildly radical. When Dutton suggested small moderations all of them were refused and Albozo decided to go it alone with predictable results.

Albozo screwed up big time wasting $400,000,000 and should be fired from the job of PM.