A Rare Defeat for the Establishment

       2023, and another Australian referendum bites the dust! Australians are wary of changing their Constitution. They know that if they make a mistake, they will never be able to fix it, so if any significant group opposes the referendum, they vote No. And this one was especially egregious. Ignoring the bread-and-butter issues with which the people were really concerned, the Prime Minister had made it his priority to establish an Aboriginal "Voice" to act as an addition to Parliament. It could have been established simply by legislation, but for reasons on which we may speculate, he wanted it in the Constitution. As for the details - its size, the cost, the choosing of its members, and everything else which might interest the population - these were ignored. The great unwashed citizenry were not supposed to know anything as trivial as that before they affirmed their masters' plans. The result was predictable: 61% No to 39% Yes. Just 90 minutes after voting closed in the eastern states, the referendum was declared lost. But that was only half the story.