Goanna frontman Shane Howard returns OAM after Voice referendum defeat

In a letter to the Governor-General, Howard spoke of his "deep sadness" and felt "Australians had missed an important historical moment of destiny."

Howard, who wrote the iconic 1982 song Solid Rock, Sacred Ground decrying the dispossession of First Nations people, was awarded an OAM in 2016 for service to performing arts and to Indigenous musicians.

"At this point in history, I can't be proud of my nation and feel honour bound to return my Order of Australia medal," he said.

"When I wrote the song Solid Rock, Sacred Ground 40 years ago, I wanted us to address the fundamental lie at the heart of our national story.

"I dreamt of a country respectful of our ancient history and honest about our modern history. I wanted to be proud of my country."

In the lead-up to the Voice referendum Howard joined Uncle Lenny Clarke to A Community for Yes event near Warrnambool in south-west Victoria and also supported an Irish For The Voice online rally.

Howard said the Voice referendum campaign had "seen the rise of intentional and well-resourced disinformation networks".

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"I'm also deeply troubled by the way our First Peoples, our brothers and sisters, our friends, have been so belittled, with such pernicious vilification, in the interests of political power," he said.

"It's neither generous nor decent."

He said he could not be proud of Australia until it engaged with Treaty-making, truth-telling and embracing a "post-colonial Republic".

The Voice referendum was defeated on October 14 with 60.73 per cent of voters against the proposal nationally.

It lost in all six states and the Northern Territory, with the ACT the only jurisdiction to vote in favour of the Voice to Parliament.