Thousands upon thousands of people have turned up to “Walk for Yes” rallies across Australia ahead of the upcoming referendum on October 14. And what a bloody dayyyyyyy for it.
The rallies took place across the major cities of Melbourne, Sydney, Hobart, Alice Springs, Darwin, Brisbane, Perth and Canberra (yes we’re counting Canberra as a major city, we woke up feeling generous).
There was even a rally held in New York City, with organiser and Aboriginal woman Karri Walker telling the ABC, “I hope we send a message to the rest of Australia that Australians are really supportive of the Voice, that this matters and that this is a really historic moment that people really care about.
At the Melbourne rally, Minister for Indigenous Australians Linda Burney was joined by musicians including former Midnight Oil frontman (and former Labor MP) Peter Garrett, as well as rock band Spiderbait, Marlon Motlop and Mia Wray who all performed live.
Sunday’s protests coincide with the start of a $20 million ad spend from the Yes campaign.
One part of the blitz comprises a new TV ad narrated by a young indigenous boy who asks if he will “grow up in a country that hears my voice”.
It comes two weeks after the Yes campaign launched its “You’re The Voice” ad featuring John Farnham‘s iconic song of the same name.
Despite its popularity, the song has been licensed incredibly sparingly over the years, further increasing the magnitude of Farnham’s decision to approve its use by the Yes campaign.
If you’re after more information on how The Voice will work, who’s involved and when everything is set to take place, peep our explainer article here.
Header image credit: Jordan Barr & Kyle Minall. Supplied.
