What could have been a respectful debate on the Indigenous Voice to Parliament has been overwhelmed by misinformation and cynical politics, and Australia is worse off for it.
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That's the word from one of our most respected journalists, and co-author of a book on the Voice referendum Kerry O'Brien, who will be in Wollongong soon to speak on the issue.
In an interview with the Mercury the former 7.30 Report star despaired the descent of this debate into hostility and misinformation.
The Sydney Morning Herald revealed No campaign plans to phone-target specific voters identified by software. Callers were to not initially identify their No links, and raise the false fear of Indigenous compensation.
"I had hoped that somehow or other, people might be able to rise above base political motives - damage your opponents by any, by whatever means," O'Brien said.
"That hasn't been the case. And I think this country is worse off for it. You can a vigorous debate but still have respect."
O'Brien said these tactics had been seen before.
"If Anthony Albanese had wanted to know on election night - when he made his commitment to the Voice - how the referendum campaign would play out, all he needed to do was look at how the opponents of an Australian Republic ran the 1999 referendum campaign," O'Brien said. "The slogans like 'If you don't know, vote no', there it was in the Republic campaign.
"Other elements too - create confusion, create a sense of division, create fear and apprehension based on mistruths.
"That's been the models of the past. I had hoped that this time, there might be appeal to Australia's better nature - and including our politicians."
The polling is not good for a Yes believer as the opposing campaign fights winner-takes-all. But O'Brien, who co-wrote with Thomas Mayo The Voice to Parliament Handbook, is still hopeful, particularly in the votes of young people and women.
Over decades he has seen various Indigenous advisory bodies established, then dismantled, and said he thought this constitutional change was a "no-brainer".
"For me, it's really simple," he said. "I've spent more than 50 years sitting at the ringside seat of history in this country. I've reported on all the big moments across that time because of the privilege I've had in jobs I've held down. From early on, I became very interested in and engaged by indigenous issues because I saw the unfairness, I saw the racism, I saw the inequalities close up."
"The point of having a permanent Voice to make representations, to give advice, on behalf of indigenous communities, reflecting indigenous wisdom, indigenous knowledge from the grassroots is that [it] can't just become the plaything from one government to another.
"Then you can expect to see that Voice evolve, mature, become more and more effective, more and more relevant. You can expect to see the gaps close and you can expect to see an Indigenous Voice play a truly positive role in the future of Australian democracy.
"I mean, this is a really solidly based argument.
"I've seen what's happened in the past when you haven't had a permanent Voice, and I've seen how well Indigenous policy works when it has had genuine input from Indigenous people.
"You put those two things together, and having the Voice to Parliament enshrined in the constitution is a no-brainer.
"The bottom line to me is, what on earth have we got to lose? And the answer is nothing - and what have we got to gain? And the answer is a great deal.
"They would have no power of veto. They couldn't dictate to the parliament, they couldn't tell the government what to do. All they are asking from us is that we give them the opportunity to be heard on an ongoing basis."
He said the No side was importing Trumpism from the US - with dire consequences for Australia.
"The mainstream media in this country and everywhere else in the Western world is struggling to stay relevant, because because we are all awash in distortions, lies and misinformation on social media," he said.
"And our capacity as as guardians of democracy, which is what the media is apart from anything else, to call out the lies and demonstrate they are lies, we're losing that capacity. We can't keep up with the flood.
"Steve Bannon, who was Donald Trump's close adviser for about half the time was in the White House, described the technique as 'flooding the zone with shit'.
"The zone was social media and the shit is fake media, fake news. Putting so much bullshit out there via social media that they simply can't keep up with it.
"That is an identified strategy by some people on the right of democratic politics, which essentially amounts to a campaign to destroy the basis of our democracy.
"And what we're seeing here is a manifestation of that that has been borrowed from America and is being applied here through social media."
O'Brien said he despaired for the consequences for Indigenous people if the referendum were sunk, and said a more respectful approach is not too hard to find.
"I was at a town hall meeting with Rachel Perkins last week and an Indigenous person who Rachel knew was opposed to the voice. She invited him to be part of our panel of discussion.
"He just had this feeling of concern that it might not be the right way to go, and so he was opposing it.
"Another respected elder from his same mob got up [with] another perspective, and they had a vigorous debate. Another Indigenous elder woman on our panel also joined in and these three senior respected people from the local communities had this very public discussion.
"In the end they agreed to disagree, but the whole thing was done with respect, you could see it amongst them.
"Indigenous people talk about deep listening. That's a level of respect that you so rarely see reflected in Australian politics the way it's conducted, and certainly not in the way this debate has been consumed by politics, and we can all learn from that.
"That's the kind of debate we could have had about a Yes vote about a Voice to Parliament being enshrined in the constitution. And I find it deeply sad that we can't find a way to do it."
Kerry O'Brien will speak at the Illawarra Business and Community lunch on the Referendum on September 28 at City Diggers.
On the panel for discussion are Gamilaroi University of Wollongong researcher Catherine Moyle, Industry Super director Terry Wetherall and Dharug lawyer and mediator Karen Iles.
Tickets $120 from Humantix.
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