Letter to The Editor - Such a separatist agenda is ‘counterproductive to achieving genuine reconciliation and ‘has produced much misery among remote Aboriginal communities'

To THE AGE          Bill Shorten’s announcement (‘Labor supports Indigenous “Voice to Parliament”’, 13/2) that, if elected to power, the ALP will legislate to create such an entity ‘as a first step’, involves an irresponsible and dangerous campaign for the constitutional division of our nation. We should remember the 2002 warning of former minister for Aboriginal affairs, Peter Howson, that such a separatist agenda is ‘counterproductive to achieving genuine reconciliation and ‘has produced much misery among remote Aboriginal communities.’

     He also pointed out that ‘the reconciliation some presently pursue has become a weapon to wield against the traditional concept of Australia.’ Shorten’s proposal is not in our national interests and appears to be a sneaky way of getting around public resistance which he defames as ‘scare campaigns’. History shows (France in 1789, Russia in 1917) that foolish idealism leads to disaster.
  NJ, Belgrave, Vic