7 ways to look after yourself and your community before and after the Voice referendum

The lead-up to the Voice referendum is already affecting the health and wellbeing of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. These impacts will likely worsen during and after the vote.

A quick search of any social media platform about the Voice referendum reveals a range of strong perspectives on voting “yes” or “no”. But in the loosely regulated world of social and news media, many conversations are becoming toxic and racist, and turning into hate speech.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people are already disproportionately affected by mental ill health, including hospitalisations and troubling rates of suicide. This is why we must take extra care and adopt strategies to support Indigenous Australians and each other.