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The national helpline for First Nations people is fielding a record number of calls, with many who reach out telling crisis counsellors that they are experiencing racism and abuse as a result of the Indigenous Voice to parliament debate.
The helpline, 13YARN, is a 24/7 crisis support and suicide prevention service designed and delivered by Indigenous people. It was launched in March 2022 and was expected to take around 30 calls a day. Last Tuesday, volunteers took 173 calls, with a total of 639 calls coming in last week alone.
Aunty Marj Anderson, national program manager of 13YARN, says crisis supporters have been fielding a record number of calls from people reporting racism and abuse.Credit: Jim A Baker
Over the past six weeks, almost 3500 calls for help have been received. The busiest week was in mid-August when 661 people reached out for help, the most calls received in a single week since the helpline began.
The figures have been revealed as both Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Opposition Leader Peter Dutton said they were troubled by some “nasty” behaviour that had emerged from the debate.
“I condemn nasty behaviour wherever it occurs. We need to have a respectful debate,” Albanese said in Melbourne this week.
Dutton said: “People need to contribute to this debate, participate in this debate respectfully.”
Lifeline, which is the provider of 13YARN, said that there had been a 108 per cent increase in the number of calls from people reporting abuse or trauma, with 7573 calls answered between October and December last year. This comprised 31 per cent of the total calls taken for the 2022/23 financial year. Those numbers coincide with the commencement of the proposal conversation for the referendum.
13YARN national program manager Aunty Marj Anderson said that crisis workers were reporting that their callers felt unsafe and were struggling to “carry the load”.
“Racism, and the nastiness with the debate is really impacting on an already traumatised community,” Anderson said.
“In the past three weeks especially, with the cultural load from the debate, people are telling us there is a rise in racism they are experiencing, which is amazing given the amount of things that are in the community; financial concerns are a big worry for Aboriginal people as well so to see this having such an impact on people’s mental health is concerning, our people aren’t feeling safe in their own country.”
Anti-discrimination NSW has added a Referendum Resilience page to its website, such is the concern in the community about Voice-inspired racism, Anderson said, with 13YARN provided as the last of a six-step “tool-kit” that was “now needed” as a result of the “unsafe” temperature in the community.
“I am disappointed, to be perfectly honest. We had a chance to be a really grown-up country, whatever side of the debate you’re on, deal with the facts and be respectful, but that’s not what’s happening,” Anderson said.
“They said everyone would be affected by the same-sex debate, it’ll be the ruination of marriage, they said, but you know what, the only people who have been impacted are the gay community who can now marry. How about we stick with facts and not scaremonger and stop personally attacking people.”
According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics, First Nations people are twice as likely to take their own lives than non-Indigenous people. The latest ABS data from 2021 shows that the leading cause of death for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children was suicide (at 29.7 per cent of deaths). In 2021, 29.6 was the median age at death as a result of suicide for First Nations people, compared with 44.8 for those who belonged to the non-Indigenous population.
“The personal nature of the attacks, there is no need for that – the misinformation and vitriol that our community are experiencing, it is just horrible. We’re not in a schoolyard. It’s just been hard to cope with as an Aboriginal person,” Anderson said.
“We all should look after ourselves … no matter what side of the fence, we have to look after everyone.”
If you or anyone you know needs support, call 13 YARN on 13 9276, Lifeline on 131 114 or Beyond Blue on 1300 224 636.
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