After the Voice Failure, the Elites Bite Back with a Treaty and South African Style Inquisition, Makarrata Commission to Supervise Treaty-¬Making and Truth-Telling By James Reed
In another article I refer to the movement which is getting underway now for a treaty and truth commission, after the failure of the Voice referendum. As documented below, the prime minister is going right ahead with this agenda. I have said that the treaty will be pushed by legislation, as is being done in the states in America, such as California. A Truth Inquisition would be easy to set up. It would be a disaster for so-called reconciliation, as it by definition will champion the black arm band view of history, that the nation of Australia is illegitimate, being founded upon genocide and dispossession, as was seen in the Uluru Statement from the heart.
The real battle now lies ahead, so get ready, the time of celebration comes to a close.
“Anthony Albanese will reaffirm Labor’s commitment to advance reconciliation while pursuing treaty and truth-telling and reset the government’s focus on cost-of-living pressures and national security, after his $365m voice referendum was torpedoed by more than 60 per cent of voters.
The Prime Minister will re-engage with Indigenous leaders following a week of silence on new measures to close the gap after a majority of Australians in every state rejected Labor’s referendum to constitutionally enshrine a voice advisory body to parliament and executive government.
As Mr Albanese and Yes23 campaigners kept low profiles on Sunday following the heavy defeat, Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles declared the government remained committed to establishing a Makarrata commission to supervise treaty-making and truth-telling.
Labor MPs, Yes campaigners and government-appointed constitutional expert group member Greg Craven sheeted blame for the referendum loss on Mr Albanese, Indigenous Australians Minister Linda Burney and Yes23 for failing to provide more detail, appealing too much to inner-city elites and rushing the vote without ample consultation.
While senior ALP and Liberal strategists believe that political damage inflicted on Mr Albanese and the Labor brand was unlikely to show up immediately, the government is under pressure to focus on priority issues for households and businesses.
Mr Marles on Sunday ruled out another attempt at constitutional recognition but reaffirmed the government’s commitment to the Uluru Statement from the Heart in full, which asks for voice and a Makarrata commission to oversee treaty and truth.
The Albanese government, which ahead of last year’s election pledged $27m to establish a Makarrata commission, has already spent $900,000 of the $5.8m set aside in Labor’s first budget for the treaty and truth-telling body.
Despite voters in Queensland, South Australia and Tasmania delivering No votes of 68.8 per cent, 64.5 per cent and 59.5 per cent, premiers in those states on Sunday vowed to push ahead with state-based treaties and voices to progress reconciliation. At the close of counting on Sunday night, the national vote showed No leading Yes by 60.6 to 39.4 per cent.
Millions of voters in regional Australia and western Sydney emphatically voted No in key Labor electorates, including seats held by cabinet ministers.
Only one of 57 Coalition seats – Bradfield in Sydney – was on track to return a Yes vote. All seven teal seats won from the Liberal Party at recent elections, including Warringah, Wentworth, North Sydney, Kooyong and Goldstein, returned Yes votes.
Amid soul-searching in Labor ranks, Mr Albanese is preparing an immediate pivot to core policy issues including the economy, national security, advancing reconciliation, energy, climate change, education, skills and manufacturing.
The Australian understands Yes23 campaigners had known for at least three weeks that the referendum would go down on Saturday night but were shocked by the scale of the loss and massive swings to No.”
Comments