在澳大利亚最大的土著文化节庆Garma上，2023年议会原住民代表权(Voice to Parliament)公投的主要倡导者Noel Pearson发表了三年来首次重要公开演讲[1]。这次演讲标志着Pearson对公投失败责任的公开承认，并转向聚焦支持该提案的社区的实际需求[1]。
公投在2023年遭到广泛否决，超过60%的澳大利亚人投票反对将土著代表权写入宪法，除澳大利亚首都地区外的所有州和地区都拒绝了该提案[1]。然而，在原住民占多数的地区，根据政治分析家Simon Jackman的估计，63%的投票支持了这一提案[1]。
在Garma的演讲中，Pearson呼吁为支持公投的"蓝点社区"(主要是原住民地区)提供资金支持，用于就业、教育和社区发展[1]。他引用澳大利亚统计局2022年的数据指出，15至64岁的第一民族人口失业率达9.5%[1]。澳大利亚统计局的报告还显示，超过17,000名原住民被监禁，占全国囚犯的三分之一[1]。Pearson在演讲中表示："我们知道需要做什么，我们知道想要做什么"[1]。澳大利亚外交部长Penny Wong等政府人士也在现场发表演讲，强调澳大利亚的多元文化特征，称"我们不是单一文化，我们从未是过"[1]。
Noel Pearson, a principal architect of Australia's failed 2023 Voice to Parliament referendum, delivered a significant public address at the Garma Festival in Northern Territory, Australia's largest Indigenous cultural gathering, marking his first major public remarks on the outcome in three years [1]. Pearson acknowledged responsibility for the referendum's failure and called for dedicated funding to support the "blue dot communities"—predominantly Indigenous areas that voted in favor—through investments in employment, education, and community development [1].
The 2023 referendum saw Australians reject constitutional recognition of Indigenous representation by a margin exceeding 60 percent, with every state and territory except the Australian Capital Territory voting against the proposal [1]. Political analyst Simon Jackman estimated that 63 percent of voters in predominantly Indigenous regions supported the measure [1]. During his address, Pearson highlighted pressing challenges facing First Nations communities, citing Australian Bureau of Statistics data showing a 9.5 percent unemployment rate among Indigenous people aged 15 to 64 [1]. He also referenced ABS reporting indicating more than 17,000 Indigenous Australians are imprisoned, representing one-third of the national prisoner population [1]. "We know what we need to do. We know what we want to do," Pearson stated [1].
Foreign Minister Penny Wong and other government representatives also spoke at the festival, with Wong emphasizing Australia's multicultural character, stating: "We are not a monoculture, and we have never been" [1].