John Anderson on The Voice To Parliament | Op-Ed

foreign [Music] voice to Parliament enshrined in the much praised euleroos statement from the heart claims to establish a constitutionally guaranteed indigenous voice in our legislative and executive arms of government this according to its Advocates will ensure that the plight of indigenous Australians is impossible to ignore by saying so-called voice I mean no disrespect it is though misleading to suggest that indigenous Australians currently have no voice to Parliament when each indigenous Australian has an equal vote to anyone else and importantly each state and territory has a minister for Aboriginal affairs and federally we have a minister for indigenous affairs these portfolios liaise directly with many indigenous stakeholders indigenous Australians like all Australians have many voices to Parliament already I and many others including many indigenous people and simply not convinced that the so-called voice will achieve anything positive beyond the very short-lived Rush of joy for those in favor of it more seriously though I think that the voice to Parliament will actually prove to be detrimental to the cause of indigenous disadvantage this is because it will beget divisiveness and cynicism and its politics will prove to be a distraction from the very practical challenges of closing the gaps in health education domestic violence substance abuse employment income levels and general enjoyment of life other countries have adopted similar approaches to that which is proposed here and they have not found that it has borne good fruit this is important take the waitangi tribunal in New Zealand it has direct veto power over certain legislation this discriminatory Innovation to the New Zealand government system has expanded over time and has contributed to divisive racial politics I believe we need to be wiser in this country despite the near Universal praise heaped upon the Uluru statement from the heart its words if they were to be taken seriously by indigenous Australians are actually misleading and highly detrimental most notably the document declares indigenous Australians to be powerless and that constitutional reforms are the only way to empower our people and that indigenous Australians currently do not have power over our destiny as they put it it is bad enough to be saying to a generation of indigenous Australians that they currently have no control over their destiny but what are indigenous youths to conclude about their agency over their future if the referendum fails Inseparable from The Voice to Parliament is the question of a treaty and treaties very often involve the establishment of separate autonomous indigenous territories with massive taxpayer funding certainly this has been the case with Australian discussions of a treaty we are talking about a radical move when we consider this the euleru statement itself calls for a quote better future based on self-determination the phrase self-determination is a barely veiled reference to a treaty between indigenous and non-indigenous Australians indeed the euleru statement calls for a macarata commission makarata is a term historically used to refer to a treaty between indigenous and non-indigenous Australians in 2021 Anthony alvanizi now the major champion of the voice to Parliament said the voice is the Bedrock upon which we must build I want a voice and truth then treaty I think we need to take Mr albanesi at his word in other words The Voice sets in chain a process which involves much greater change than is being discussed at the moment it is my view that he should in the interests of transparency explain exactly what that three-step process of voice treaty and Truth telling would be like and how he believes it will close the gap rather than widening divisions in our country if the voice is step one on this path to a treaty between indigenous and non-indigenous Australians then we can write the expect a Perpetual call for such a treaty and given that the majority of Australians will not be sympathetic to such an extreme reform how will this not but get Perpetual grievance and cynicism among many Aboriginal Australians all the while the gaps between indigenous Australians will remain with the politics of the voice overshadowing the everyday needs of indigenous Australians much as today the question of changing the date of Australia Day gets far more media attention than the horrific rates of domestic violence and child abuse in remote communities indeed much of the media seems determined to deny what is actually being endured by many Aboriginal people in remote parts of the country and I think there should be some serious questioning of the level of professional coverage around this very important issue that goes to the heart of being able to live safely in our own country we don't need more distractions from the real issues I'm encouraged by indigenous Australians like Senator Senator price Warren mundine and academic Dr Anthony Dillon whose passion for indigenous welfare is undeniable and yet who would prefer practical and tried public policy as the best means to close the gap and give Aboriginal people the full opportunity where they've not yet enjoyed it to become if you like members of the Australian Community enjoying the benefits of employment and opportunity and prosperity an example that comes to mind is that in 2003 alcohol restrictions were introduced to the arakun region and it resulted in a sharp decline in murders and suicides and a 90 percent decline in people presenting in hospitals for injuries sustained in fights but the current government scrapped the cashless welfare card in many dysfunctional communities that prevented money from being spent on alcohol and for that matter gambling rather than food and basic necessities for families it was scrapped despite Earnest indigenous voices led by Senator jacinta price crying out for its continuation in the politics of suffering a classic discussion of indigenous policy in Australia anthropologists and linguist Peter Sutton wrote regretfully of an apparent correlation between the progressiveness of policy and the degree of indigenous Community disaster I'm sorry to have to say to you that as somebody who's had a long-term involvement with Aboriginal people and who cares very much about their prospects I foreseen much the same for the so-called voice Department it will further entrench a sense of irresolvable grievance among many indigenous Australians worse it will become a distraction from the real problems that require practical policy initiatives in many ways I see it as a vehicle that will attract activists and people who are more interested in pursuing agendas around power and Advantage for themselves rather than the real needs and they are real of many indigenous Australians who are doing it tough [Music] foreign [Music]

Channel: John Anderson

Views: 99,742

Keywords: John Anderson, John Anderson Conversation, Interview, John Anderson Interview, Policy debate, public policy, public debate, John Anderson Direct, Direct, Conversations

Id: uH4Qx-QNaPg

Length: 9min 34sec (574 seconds)

Published: Sun Jun 18 2023