It is confronting that opposition to the First Peoples’ Voice in the Australian Constitution relies on levels of disinformation. Two questions pose themselves: why is there so much untruthfulness abroad in the current public discussion, and what does it say about Australian society?
Each of us will be asked on 14 October whether we approve an alteration to the Constitution to recognise the First Peoples of Australia by establishing an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice.
We are presented with objections to this straightforward question that range from the genuine to the ridiculous. The advice to “vote No if you don’t know” instead of encouraging people to “find out” makes a mockery of the serious decision the nation is being asked to make.
Opponents of the Voice are demanding more detail. However, the Constitution does not provide similar detail about other matters, nor could it bear the volume of material if specifics were required for the many matters subject to it.
The Constitution establishes the powers of the parliament, the executive and the judiciary; it does not undermine those powers by adding elements which would require changes according to times and needs. It is for the parliament of the day to interpret the Constitution.
A Voice enshrined in the Constitution would prevent repetition of many past failures, where projects focused on Indigenous people were first established then dismantled according to the whim of this or that government, or through...
Unfortunately, Gregg Phillips’ claims that he was twice teleported from one place to another aren’t the biggest problems for this top government official with a long history of shady deals, charit...