Voice’s missing pieces an undefined jigsaw puzzle.

All jigsaw puzzles, have an inevitability about their outcome - whatever the picture is on the box, you know what you’re getting.

There’s a clear and defined transparency about them. 

Comparing the Voice to Parliament to a jigsaw puzzle, seems to be a reasonable comparison - except the ‘Voice’ is an undefined puzzle with many missing pieces.

And as the ‘Voice’ remains an intense focus of national debate - its architects continue to sell a product that’s astoundingly incomplete. 

For all Australians – it’s now a matter of Caveat Emptor -‘Buyer Beware’ - know what you’re signing up for and getting.

And while the Voice’s proponents argue it's a necessary step towards rectifying historical injustices – what those injustices have been and what Indigenous Australians have faced has never been in doubt.

Like all other nations that have been conquered throughout history - colonisation has been integral in shaping their history - good, bad, or indifferent, and Australia is no different.

What’s in question and what continues to remain in unknown, is the lack of clarity – the vital missing pieces of what Australia will look like post October 14 should the Voice succeed – it’s a picture that Noel Pearson, Marcia Langton or Linda Burney refuse to answer.

Either they don’t know or there’s an agenda at play, whichever of the two it is, Australians can’t be expected to buy into ‘uncertainty.’

Uncertainty rather than clarity is what Australians are being asked to buy into, and they shouldn’t.

And just as ‘uncertainty’ is being sold to Australia, what isn’t being sold to Indigenous Australians by the self-anointed elite leadership of the Voice, is hope and a future with direction.

Instead, they continue to anchor Indigenous Australians and Australia to the historical injustices of the past, ‘rattling the sabre of victimhood’ without any intent or commitment to uplift them beyond the suffering of past generations. 

Australia of 2023 is a different time and place to 250 years ago.

What continues to be pedalled by Pearson and Langton is a victim mentality, rather than fostering empowerment within Indigenous communities.

Rather than press the need to shift away from it, they continue an immersion of victimhood. Their focus is to undermine efforts to empower Indigenous communities.

Perpetuating a victim mentality reinforces stereotypes and detracts from initiatives aimed at promoting self-reliance and community development.

The acknowledgement of historical injustices is crucial, but it’s equally important to shift the focus towards empowering Indigenous Australians through education, economic opportunities, and access to healthcare.

Consistently portraying Indigenous Australians as victims hinders their progress towards self-determination and community upliftment.

Balancing the acknowledgment of historical injustices with a focus on initiatives enabling Indigenous communities to thrive is essential.

But its apparent Pearson, Langton Calma and others lack the desire or inclination to do so. 

By keeping their feet on the necks of Indigenous Australians affords them seemingly greater control. The alternative of empowerment weakens their own personal agenda, and we have a good sense of what that is. 

A significant challenge is finding the right balance between advocating for Indigenous rights and addressing pressing issues within Indigenous communities.

Indigenous Australians face a myriad of complex challenges, including health disparities and high unemployment rates.

These issues must be tackled in conjunction with the pursuit of greater political representation – not a separate country running counter to Australia.

For the ‘Voice’ to succeed, it must complement broader initiatives aimed at improving the socio-economic conditions of Indigenous Australians.

And yet it won’t, because division, refusal to assimilate, lack of cohesion and a victimhood mentality are all counterproductive to Indigenous Australia’s progression as a community.

Putting together the Voice to Parliament jigsaw puzzle and working out what the picture is, is difficult because there are so many pieces missing.