By Alistair Gray
“Do you support an alteration to the constitution that establishes an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice?”
There is much excitement and discussion around the release of the draft, Yes or No question for the proposed Indigenous Voice to Parliament Referendum by Prime Minister Albanese. At face value, you would expect this to be easy for the electorate to consider. However, the more you look at the issues, this appears to be far from a simple task.
Concerns I have noticed that have been talked about include-
Why are Torres Strait Islanders included in the referendum as they are not First Nations people or the original landowners?
Where is the detail? What does giving a voice to parliament mean? How will it work? The lack of clarity.
Many agree First Nations should have recognition in the constitution. Why is this not the prime focus? With a voice coming through the normal parliamentary process. Many First Nations people feel they have fewer rights than new citizens under the existing constitution.
Creating a Voice to Parliament would create a racial divide, be divisive and slow the legislative process.
There are eleven indigenous elected members of parliament providing a voice. Some are expressing concerns and do not support the proposed referendum.
There is potential to damage the great work already completed towards developing a treaty and reconciliation.
The speed of the process. The Prime Minister and the Labor party have nothing to lose if the vote does not pass. The First Nations people have everything to lose.
These are just a few of the issues I have come across and no doubt there are more. We must all learn about creating an Indigenous Voice to Parliament and what it means for you and the future of Australia. It is a watershed moment, and we must participate in respectful discussion in the weeks ahead. Despite the lack of clarity, a lot of work over many years will set the base for us to move forward. Now is the time for the government to take a leadership role to remove the doubts and concerns and lead the nation to a positive outcome: one country, one people, where everyone’s voice gets heard.
What is a Referendum, and how does voting work?
The following extract is from the Australian Electoral Commission website www.aec.gov.au/elections/referendums/.
The only way to change the Australian Constitution is by holding a referendum. This means that the constitution cannot be altered without the approval of the people.
Section 128 of the Constitution provides that any proposed amendment to the constitution must be passed by an absolute majority in both Houses of the Commonwealth Parliament.
At the referendum, the proposed alteration must be approved by a double majority. That is:
a national majority of voters in the states and territories.
a majority of voters in a majority of the states (i.e., at least four out of six states).
The votes of people living in the ACT, the NT and any of Australia’s external territories count towards the national majority only.
Voting at a referendum is compulsory and is very similar to voting at the general election.
You can find an excellent graphical fact sheet that explains the double majority rule at www.aec.gov.au/elections/referendums/files/double-majority-fact-sheet.pdf
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