They’re best known for their hilarious takes on the nation’s biggest TV shows, but the stars of Gogglebox Australia got serious on Thursday night as they revealed their stances on the Voice to Parliament referendum.
As millions of Australians headed to the polls to decide whether an Indigenous Voice to Parliament will be enshrined in the constitution, the first Indigenous family on Gogglebox were divided on the issue.
Jared, a Undumbi, Kalkadoon and South Sea Islander man, donned a ‘Yes’ T-shirt as he said he was afraid of a ‘no’ result.
“It’s not going to make a big difference to my life,” he said.
“I don’t think it’ll make a big difference to anyone’s life. I’m voting yes because I have a fear of what a conservative ‘no’ vote win will mean.”
On the other side of the fence sat Kevin, a Wakka Wakka and South Sea Islander man.
He expressed concern a ‘yes’ result would be a ‘toothless tiger’.
I think we need more than just an advisory committee,” he said, adding he felt a Voice to Parliament could “lack the ability for nuanced conversations”.
“How many royal commissions have we had over the years, black deaths in custody, removal of black children from families? And those recommendations haven’t all been implemented. We’ve had a voice; they haven’t been listening.”
For friends Symon and Adam, the right decision was to vote ‘yes’.
The former said it was an advisory group that “will provide advice from the people who are affected by the decisions to the parliament to have them make laws that then affect them.”
The latter said: “In my heart, it is the right thing to do to vote ‘yes’”.
Kerry’s voting intentions were clear to viewers before she uttered a single word, thanks to her bright-coloured ‘VOTE YES’ T-shirt.
Speaking with her daughter, Izzy, Kerry said the referendum was simple.
“It’s about recognition, listening, and better results,” she said.
To Izzy’s question about whether it would actually create change, Kerry responded: “Well, this is what the Voice hopefully will create, because right up until now, nothing else has worked”.
Flatmates and best mates Milo and Nic were not as convinced.
Nic said he “completely agrees” with the need to improve statistics around the number of Indigenous people living under the poverty line, but said he didn’t think he’d been “shown enough evidence of what I’m voting for”.
He questioned whether the proposed advisory body has been “hashed out enough” to be enshrined in the constitution, while Milo said he did not know where he sat.
Brother and sister Tim and Leanne were also shown discussing the momentous vote.
Tim’s badge that read the words “I’m voting YES” showed his view, loud and proud.
He said this was one of the most important referendums of Aussies’ lives.
“We actually have the power to make change,” he said.
“‘Yes’ is trying to fight for the rights of the people, ‘no’ is using fear as a method to convince people to vote ‘no’.”
University student Millie Dalton, the youngest participant on the show, noted the constitution was 120 years old as is “going to need updating at points in time”.
For a referendum to pass, it needs to reach a double majority. This means the majority of the nation as a whole and the majority of states have to vote Yes.
More than 50 per cent of the population in four of Australia’s six states – NSW, Victoria, Queensland, South Australia, Tasmania and West Australia – need to vote in favour of the change.
Votes in the Northern Territory and the ACT only count towards the national vote.