Category: Indigenous Voice to Parliament

How Will the ‘Voice’ Contribute to ‘Reconciliation’?

Commentary There is no denying the reality that a constitutional convention held in 2017 near Uluru galvanised a movement to amend the Australian Constitution. The “Uluru Statement from the Heart” (pdf) invites people to walk with Aboriginals and Torres Strait Islanders “in a movement of the Australian people for a better future.” To that purpose,…


Think Tank Calls for Respectful Debate Around Indigenous Voice Following Attack on Senator’s Views

The conservative think tank, the Institute of Public Affairs (IPA), has called for the debate around the proposed Indigenous Voice to Parliament to be respectful and constructive. This comes after Indigenous Voice advocate Noel Pearson told ABC Radio National that the IPA was in part manipulating Indigenous Nothern Territory Senator Jacinta Yangapi Nampijinpa Price into…


Nationals Announce They Will Not Support the Indigenous Voice to Parliament

The National party has announced it will not support the federal Labor government’s move to create a constitutionally enshrined Indigenous Voice to Parliament. In Australia, the National Party typically represents regional and rural Australians, including many of the outback Indigenous communities. Speaking at a press conference, National Party leader David Littleproud said that his party…


How We Can Make the ‘Voice’ Work

Commentary Plenty has been said about the proposed Indigenous Voice to Parliament; some of it has been thought provoking, and much of it unfortunately, has just been the regurgitation of past offerings by those wanting to score political points. We currently have one side saying it’s racist if the Voice doesn’t get up and the…


The ‘Voice’ No One Asked For

Commentary In November, I was a conference panellist on the topic of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice to Parliament. Chris Kenny, a host on Sky News Australia, was moderating a panel of Anthony Dillon, Hannah Hollis, Dean Parkin, and myself. The whole conference was a great event, and we also had a great…


Affirmative Action Removes Individual Agency: Indigenous Senator

Framing Aboriginal Australians as victims removes responsibility from themselves as an individual rather than helping them flourish, says an Indigenous Australian senator.   Jacinta Price, new Country Liberal Party senator for Northern Territory, told The Epoch Times on Oct. 1 that such an approach creates the expectation that the “perceived oppressor,” who is white Australians…


Do We Really Need an Indigenous Voice for Parliament?

Commentary While Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and his minister for Indigenous affairs frolic with NBA Basketball legends, and high profile people and big corporates lecture regular people about the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice to Parliament (the Voice), the proposed referendum has turned into a bully pulpit for elitists, Aboriginal academic activists, the…


Do We Really Need an Indigenous Voice to Parliament?

Commentary While Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and his minister for Indigenous affairs frolic with NBA Basketball legends, and high profile people and big corporates lecture regular people about the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice to Parliament (the Voice), the proposed referendum has turned into a bully pulpit for elitists, Aboriginal academic activists, the…


Australian PM Criticised for ‘Cringy’ Press Conference With NBA Star Shaquille O’Neal

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has been criticised by Indigenous members of the centre-right Coalition and left-wing Greens for involving NBA star Shaquille O’Neal in the government’s efforts to implement the “Indigenous Voice” to Parliament. Jacinda Nampijinpa Price, conservative-leaning Country Liberal Party senator, and Lidia Thorpe, the Greens spokesperson for First Nations, delivered a strong…


Creating Indigenous Body in Parliament Risks Dividing Australians on Race: One Nation Leader

One Nation party will vote against entrenching the Indigenous voice in parliament in the upcoming referendum, with its leader arguing the proposal does not address real Indigenous disadvantages while risking dividing Australians on race. Queensland Senator Pauline Hanson compared the Indigenous Voice to “apartheid” because it gives a minority of people more political power than the…