Even though there is strong Indigenous representation in parliament, this does not guarantee Indigenous communities a say in laws and policies made on their behalf.
A Voice to Parliament will not fix every problem facing Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. But it is an important step towards moving the nation to truth telling and beyond.
The Voice to Parliament is an advisory body, which means neither parliament nor the government is legally required to give effect to its representations.
Right-wing opposition of the Voice to parliament has been dominating the so-called ‘no’ campaign. First Nations communities calling for more detail and more discussion also have reason to oppose it.
The sad reality is that if the demands of these early activists had been met nearly a century ago, we would not be suffering the severe disadvantage that hovers over Aboriginal lives still today.
Decades of government Indigenous Affairs policy has not delivered. A new approach is needed. Policy-making informed by Indigenous lived experience through a Voice to parliament may be the answer.
Multicultural communities could be crucial to the Voice referendum, given their size and breadth. The ‘yes’ campaign will need to mobilise at the grassroots level to be successful.
Comparisons of national polls over an eight-month period show support falling only among Coalition voters. This may not be fatal to the referendum’s chances, but it is serious.
In their 1881 petition, Aboriginal people from the Maloga mission who sought greater freedom from missionary control called for the government to grant them their own parcel of land.
The challenges in Alice Springs shot to prominence just as the debate about the Indigenous Voice to Parliament referendum is becoming more difficult for Albanese.
Albanese stressed the need for co-operation across levels of government and announced the federal and NT governments had appointed Dorrelle Anderson as Central Australian Regional controller
Adjunct Professor, Faculty of Health and Environmental Sciences, Auckland University of Technology, and Professor of Political Science, Charles Sturt University