ON 14 OCTOBER, THE AUSTRALIAN people will vote in a referendum that, if successful, will radically alter the governance of Australia forever.
The amendment being put by the Labor government of Prime Minister Anthony Albanese seeks to enshrine an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice that will make representations to the Federal Parliament and Government on behalf of only Aboriginals and Torres Strait Islanders.
There is no detail from the Labor Party as to how this “Voice” — this institution or body — will be selected or elected, who will be allowed to be a member of it, or what powers it will have. This will be decided by the Parliament only after the referendum is held, and then interpreted by the High Court.
God only knows how the often-activist Justices will interpret the Voice; history tells us it will not be a minimalist interpretation of its scope. Conservative Indigenous Senator and Shadow Minister for Indigenous Australians, Jacinta Nampijinpa Price, has repeatedly argued that an extra layer of bureaucracy in Canberra will do nothing to alleviate socioeconomic disadvantage experienced by Aboriginals and Torres Strait Islanders, particularly those in rural and remote communities.
The Voice is an entirely regressive step that seeks to divide Australians by race. The Voice will be the first step towards what Aboriginal activists have always wanted: a treaty with the government and reparations
