particular, Priority Reform 3 Transforming Government Organisations holds all tiers of governments to account to identify and eliminate racism.77 4.4.1 Challenges The topic of immediate importance for all First Nations stakeholders who participated in this research was the process and outcome of the 2023 Voice Referendum. Participants expressed deep concern that the national discourse leading up to and during the Referendum, including the contribution of some federal and other politicians gave a ‘green light’78 to overt racist behaviour towards First Nations people. One interviewee told us: ‘I think that our political leaders have a lot to answer for...because they've ran this instead of being bipartisan and getting on board, what is actually a really, really important issue, they chose to divide and then the country followed that division and ... Australia basically just showed themselves to be ignorant.’79 There was a view that while the Referendum outcome could not be fully attributed to racism, the Referendum process nonetheless unleashed a ‘whole lot of racism, clearly on the fringes, with some of it coming [from] within the mainstream of the debate.’80 First Nations stakeholders interviewed also described the ‘flow-on effect’ this has had on attitudes towards First Nations people, including backlash against activities such as formal Welcome To Country procedures which were voted down by two South Australian councils, for example, following the Referendum.81 One stakeholder stated that the referendum process ‘caused a lot of harm’84 and not much good and that there is an urgent need for reforms to address racism. Interviewees shared a belief that these discussions further jeopardised other policy work in the First Nations space, including efforts under Closing the Gap and treaty considerations. Although addressing racism is now part of Priority Reform Three in the National Agreement on Closing the Gap, stakeholders lamented the lack of detail on how this should be enacted. They believed that articulating an antiracism approach is necessary if the Agreement is to drive the changes needed in the lives of First Nations peoples: Australian Government | Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet (2019) National Agreement on Closing the Gap Priority Reform Three – Transforming Government Organisations, accessed 12 February 2024 77 78 First Nations stakeholder. 79 First Nations stakeholder. 80 Federal stakeholder. 81 ABC News (2023) City of Playford council removes Acknowledgement of Country from meetings, accessed 12 February 2024 84 First Nations stakeholder. 44