More than 163 years ago, Kiama was faced with a question about equality and justice concerning the local Indigenous people on 29 April 1869. Only one resident voted yes and the public attending voted in the negative.

We are currently in the lead up to a historic referendum to be held on 14 October, where voters will be asked to approve an alteration to the Australian Constitution that would prescribe a body called the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice that "may make representations to the Parliament and the Executive Government... on matters relating to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples."

Pre-poll is currently open at the Kiama Uniting Church Hall at 48 Manning Street, Kiama.

As part of a series of debates held at the Kiama Court House in 1869 designed to educate and entertain the local community a debate in 1869 was held on the question: “Has the British Government done justice to the Aboriginals of New South Wales?”

A complete text of the debate was published in the Kiama Independent. The debate was held on 29 April 1869 and was hosted by the Kiama School of Arts with the Mayor John Marks as Chair in his role as Vice President of the School of Arts.

Jamberoo farmer John Taylor made the main argument that the Aboriginals of NSW had not been treated with justice, who read an hour-and-a-half essay he wrote (which is still available) which listed the complex culture observed and also reports of massacres.

John Taylor made the remarkable assertion (for 1869) that the Europeans who settled New South Wales should have negotiated a treaty with the Aboriginals, in the same spirit that the Treaty of Waitangi had been in New Zealand, 29 years before and signed on 6 February 1840.

Mr Taylor referred to the early practice that settlers were allowed to murder Aboriginals as a nuisance to cattle and that only recently Attorney General Plunkett had hanged seven Europeans for the Myall Massacre. This hanging occurred in 1838. Mr Taylor argued in his essay this was the only time justice had been done to the Aboriginals of NSW. The Myall Massacre was the first and only time settlers were successfully prosecuted for mass killings of Indigenous people. 

Mr Taylor told the remarkable tale of a local Indigenous man known as George who took up a clearing lease (very unusual for a non-European) and had saved up his money from working on whaling voyages for seven years. George was able to attend the Meeting of the Waitangi where the Treaty was signed. George told Mr Taylor some land was owned by all of the local people while other land at Gerringong had been his own. George regretted that no land had been reserved for the local people, which is what the Maoris did. 

Mr Taylor told the room he had tried to translate local poetry into English, but the poetry mostly consisted of nouns, and spoke mainly about war and love. He said he eventually realised that with slight changes to the nouns the most subtle of meanings were created close to the ironic wit of the Scottish.

Other speakers rose to speak against the motion, and used language that was highly racist even for the time but basically arguing a view that the local indigenous people were inferior in every way.

When the meeting broke up it was recorded that the motion that justice had not been done was carried, with only one dissenter.