The Project's Waleed Aly and Steve Price in heated clash over 'racist' open letter

The Project's Waleed Aly and Steve Price got into a very heated debate on Monday night over an open letter addressed to Australians who voted No in the Indigenous Voice to Parliament.

The letter, which was unsigned, was released on Sunday night and was slammed by Steve, who said the people who wrote it didn't have 'the guts' to sign it.

"It seems to me the Yes campaign hasn't learned anything about the result that happened Saturday two weeks ago," he said. "The public voted 60 [per cent] No, 40 [per cent] Yes and yet, they pen a letter that they then send to the Cabinet and Prime Minister calling people who voted No as doing a shameful act, suggesting No voters are racists.

"If you are going to do that, at least have the courage to put your name to it."

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Waleed, however, defended those who wrote the letter, saying, "I don't think they said all No voters were racist."

"They said racism was a big part of the campaign and the vote. They are inextricably bound up," he added, saying that while he didn't necessarily agree with everything in it, it's "hard to have a simple response to it".

"They must be so hurting. I can't deny them that. Whether we agree or not," the presenter said.

The letter blamed the Coalition for the loss of the Voice to Parliament and said, "The truth is that the majority of Australians have committed a shameful act whether knowingly or not, and there is nothing positive to be interpreted from it. We needed truth to be told to the Australian people."

It also called for children to be taught about the struggles of First Nations Australians, as they believe a lack of education and racism is what contributed to the defeat.

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"That so many Australian people believe there is no race or division on race in the current Australian Constitution speaks to the need for better education on Australian history and better civics education," it said.

It continued, "Australia is our country. We accept that the majority of Australians have rejected recognition in the Australian Constitution. We do not for one moment accept that this country is not ours. Always was. Always will be.

"It is the legitimacy of the non-Indigenous occupation in this country the requires recognition, not the other way around. Our sovereignty has never been ceded."

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