Prominent Indigenous Voice to Parliament activist Warren Mundine has publicly reached out to his daughter amid a health scare.
Mundine and her daughter Garigarra Riley-Mundine have not spoken in four years with Riley Mundine, herself a new mother, saying she was morally opposed to her father’s views in the run-up to the referendum.
Mundine told Daily Mail Australia on Saturday that he suffered a “breakdown” on Saturday in a shopping center near his home on Sydney’s leafy north shore amid his strained relationship with his daughter and public reaction to his Voice campaign. , and that he was being treated at the Royal North Coast Hospital.
“It’s the day before Mother’s Day and it gave me a nervous breakdown,” Mundine said.
“They had to call the police and ambulance, who were fantastic, calmed me down, had a cup of tea with me and took me to hospital.
“And then I approached my daughter.”
Mundine shared a photo of the couple, with Riley-Mundine holding her niece, to X on Saturday morning with the caption: ‘Claw, or any of Claw’s friends, can you ask him to call me please? His father.
Warren Mundine has revealed he suffered a “meltdown” this weekend amid backlash over his views on Voice and his strained relationship with his daughter.
Mundine turned to X to publicly ask his daughter to contact him.
Mundine said the rift between him and his daughter deepened when she gave interviews during the referendum campaign and spoke publicly against his views.
Ms Riley-Mundine, who is of Wiradjuri-Kamilaroi and Bundjalung-Yuin heritage, told The Guardian she felt her stance was “not morally correct”.
In an interview with Narelda Jacobs for 10News, she said the man she saw leading the No campaign was not the same man she knew as a child and that his views were not how her family was raised.
He recalled how his parents met at a protest and claimed that some people who were close to Mundine in recent years were not people he would have associated with in his youth.
“My daughter was cut off from my life, I didn’t even know she was pregnant,” Mundine said.
‘She sided with Narelda Jacobs, who was the person who attacked me on SBS.
“But I’m proud of her and her opinions.”
Garigarra Riley-Mundine, 31, is one of seven children Mundine had with his ex-wife and Indigenous educator, Dr. Lynette Riley, during a 26-year marriage that ended in divorce in 2008.
Mundine (pictured right with fellow No campaigner Jacinta Price) was a high-profile campaigner against Voice to Parliament.
Mundine said he has been the subject of intense backlash for his views against enshrining an Indigenous Voice in Parliament in the Constitution.
“Whether you voted Yes or No, we must be respectful of each other,” he said.
‘I have suffered mental health problems and racial abuse and attacks. I’ve lost board positions because corporate cowboys took action against me.
“It’s taken a huge toll on my mental health, I’m seeing a psychologist.”
Mundine said he was preparing to launch a campaign to raise mental health awareness for all Australians.
‘Men, especially, may be silent about these things, but there should be no shame in seeking mental health support.
His ‘No Shame’ podcast will be recorded next week and will be released later this year.
“I would tell my daughter to call me, get in touch and we can sit down, have a cup of tea and talk.”
Daily Mail Australia has contacted Ms Riley-Mundine for a response.
