The Labor government’s election pledge to put the Indigenous Voice in the constitution could divert attention away from the real problems that the Aboriginal community in remote areas is dealing with, says an Australian Liberal senator of Indigenous background.
It comes after newly elected prime minister Anthony Albanese promised he would implement the Uluru Statement from the Heart “in full.”
The body would consist of Indigenous Australians whom the government needs to consult with on policies affecting the Aboriginal community, a process called “treaty.”
However, incoming Alice Springs Country Liberal senator Jacinta Price said that “there are things happening right now that are far more urgent” than recording past injustices, such as “the safety of women and children in regional communities.”
This sentiment is echoed by Warren Mundine, Chairman of Tony Abbott government’s Indigenous Advisory Council, who said the proposals put forward under the Uluru Statement “doesn’t actually meet the needs of the Indigenous community.”
The former National President of the Labor party told The Epoch Times that the government should instead focus on increasing the employment rate, improving health, education and housing standards, as well as tackling crime and safety issues.
“None of these (proposals) fixes any of that.”
While some argued that setting up an Indigenous Voice in parliament is a symbolic move to recognise the Indigenous community, which is believed to have received unfair treatment under the Australian political system, Mundine said it is “living in a fantasy world.”
The well-known Indigenous Australian figure noted Aboriginals have “gone a long way to representation within the parliament,” as the 2022 federal election saw nine and possibly 10 Aboriginal politicians voted into federal parliament—the highest on the record.
“This idea that you need to set up a huge bureaucracy that’s going to cost millions and millions of dollars to operate, is going to solve all these problems, is just living in a fantasy world,” he said. “We’ve got to deal with the reality.”
“It’s nonsense, quite frankly, we are achieving so much now and moving ahead that this is like [saying] we need a bureaucracy. Like I need a hole in the head.”
Mundine added that it is against the Aboriginal culture to have people sitting in Canberra make decisions about the Indigenous communities.
“What we’ve got to do is get leadership on the ground. Under our culture, it’s the traditional owners and clan leaders who make decisions about our country. That’s our religious beliefs in our culture.”
“Talking about a treaty or changing the constitution is easy; improving employment and educational opportunities is considerably more difficult,” he wrote.
“So many activists actually think they are doing something constructive when they protest from the sidelines claiming that a treaty is the solution. They are not.”
