YOUR SAY: Why is there no speaker for the 'no' vote at community forum?

The constitution question is "A Proposed Law: to alter the constitution to recognise the First Peoples of Australia by establishing an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice. Do you approve this proposed alteration?"

This referendum question is the most important to be put to the Australian people in 122 years. Being such an important question, I believe that it should be looked at closely and debated prior to referendum voting day, with both the arguments for a "yes" vote and the arguments for a "no" vote being equally made available so voters can make an informed decision. With this in mind, I was interested to read that our "Independent" member for Indi Helen Haines has organised a Voice to Parliament community forum at The Cube in Wodonga on July 25. But I was then dismayed to read that the only speakers were Linda Burney, Minister for Indigenous Australians, and Yes 23 campaign director Dean Parkin, both from the "yes" vote. With absolutely no one from the "no" vote.

I believe that the voters in Indi have a right to have both sides of the referendum made available to them and as our "Independent" Helen Haines MP is organising the forum, I believe that it only would have been the right thing to do for her to have included a speaker from the "no" campaign to inform the people of Indi of the reasons why they are asking people to vote "no".

As the forum is not until July 25, Ms Haines has plenty of time to organise a speaker to set out the "no" case. If Ms Haines is unable to do so, I think she owes the electors of Indi an explanation why she cannot do so.

In 1967 many young people (who are now very old people) were floored to find out that the First Nations people of Australia did not have the vote and were not even considered people!!!

We stupidly believed that the referendum was going to put it right! Let us hope the Voice may begin to put it right this time.

My mother told a story of travelling across the Nullarbor and stopping at a siding to greet Daisy Bates and 'her girls' and babies. I was held up, three months old, to be shown off to the mothers and babies with Daisy Bates. I had on a knitted bonnet and the mothers asked for bonnets for their babies, but my mother gave them cut up squares of old nappies.

I heard this story when I was a small child and was horrified and I still am! Since then I have learned of more and more atrocities! Watch the First Nations people walk proud. And if you are ever fortunate enough to be offered a hand of friendship, take it gratefully.

In my letter published in this paper on June 15 I said I hoped the Voice would not turn into a farmer bashing exercise, sadly as the replies by Mr Thurley and Mr Henricus, it didn't take long to do just that.

You would think that the Australian people would be proud of our agricultural pioneers who achieved many world leading advances in machinery and other innovations. Sadly particularly in the last 20 or so years, these remarkable achievements have been airbrushed out of history by the left of Australian politics.

Mr Thurley stated that concerns over land tenure was nonsense, I would like to remind him of the uncertainty that prevailed after the Mabo decision in 1992 and Mr Keating's failure and refusal to address the issues created by that judgement. This uncertainty was a huge problem for both farmers and financial institutions and land prices plummeted.

It wasn't until the election of Mr Howard as PM and his government's introduction of new laws to the parliament that this uncertainty was resolved. I hope, sir, that you realise that Mr Noel Pearson and others even more radical like Thomas Mayo who are in the front line of the Voice debate want these laws which have been in place for 25 years to be repealed. Immediately, this will again create similar problems to 1992.

This is felt mostly by the farmer in far west and north of NSW as all and north of the Barwon River and west of the Darling River is Western Lands lease and doesn't have the security of freehold. It is these people in particular that are very concerned that the Howard laws could be repealed.

That is why, Mr Thurley, that it is absolutely imperative that Prime Minister Albanese travels to towns like Bourke, Brewarrina and Walgett and consults with the communities and that they will not be ignored and penalised to please and placate the radicals of Redfern and Fitzroy in Melbourne.

I'm sure the same land title issues would apply in all other states, not just NSW.

As for the 'totally reprehensible' comments by Mr Henricus, I will address those in another letter.

Mr David Henricus had a letter published in The Border Mail on June 17 that totally besmirched the integrity of every Australian farmer, both past and present. I would expect that Mr Henricus only eats imported food, surely he would not stoop to eating food produced by these privileged people.

In the Odewahns' history, my grandfather and his brothers worked for many years as sharefarmers on Round Hill Station at Culcairn-Morven before they saved a deposit to buy Rockwood and Broadlands in 1905. My grandfather on Rockwood worked until his sudden death in 1925 to pay off this land. After his death the family was hit with a huge death duties bill and my father and his two older brothers worked for many years to pay off this death duties tax.

When my father died in May 1974 my mother and I were again hit by death duties, approximately 40 per cent of the value of the farm's then valuation. With some luck, very hard work and a run of good wheat growing seasons from 1975-80 and again 1983-85 we were able to pay off this government-imposed debt.

Mr Henricus, between the early 1920s and 1980, every farm that was passed onto the next generation in NSW involved the payment of death or gift duties. It was worst for those whose family member died suddenly at a young age or when two generations died in quick succession, Many farming families were forced to sell to pay this totally inequitable tax.

Finally Mr Henricus, I would suggest that rather than denigrate the hard work and sacrifices many of our pioneering families made, you thank them for laying the foundation for the affluence you enjoy today.

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