'The Voice' may end up uniting us after a

That enlightened attitude led to the land rights movement where vast amounts of Australia are now owned or controlled by Aborigines on their traditional lands.

Senator Jacinta Price, whose representations have almost single-handedly won the debate around The Voice, has called for a new approach to Aboriginal development.

The way to Aboriginal improvement is not fighting over the past but moving forward into the future as so many Australians of all racial identities have done.

This country is so filled with potential that migrants queue up to arrive, some of them illegally. Its bounty is here for all citizens to enjoy.

Aboriginal Australians in remote communities have the same opportunities, but they are fenced in by the "soft bigotry of low expectations" where they are held to different standards. This results in low rates of school attendance and high rates of violence and alcohol abuse.

There are also cultural issues that need to be addressed, particularly "humbugging," which is the practice of making collectivist demands on friends and relatives for their assets.

And there is often a lack of freehold land which remote Aborigines can own, giving themselves the security of tenure, and the ability should they desire, to borrow to build a business.

These are issues that need to be addressed on an individualistic basis, not a collectivist one, just as the problems of most Australians are best solved by them themselves, rather than a bureaucracy with cookie-cutter solutions.

A final lesson for political advisors

There is also a lesson for all politicians here.

Polling can tell you how big the task is, but it should never be your guide as to whether to undertake the task at all.

When you have the courage to argue for what you believe to be right, polls can change.

Imagine what a different world we might live in today if more politicians had spoken out about the policies enacted during COVID-19. We might be less in debt, and healthier, as a result.

A close result in this weekend's referendum might encourage the government to double down on its policies, but a decisive result should cause a genuine rethink.