Forum –
Can you remember the First Nations [Uluru] Statement from the Heart?
The amount of time, effort and money that went into getting this statement finished was a credit to all involved and couldn’t have been easy – but they did it.
At the time I thought if the statement was worthy it should be considered by our Federal Government.
I was surprised when it was dismissed out of hand by the Feds within days of it being submitted.
I thought maybe the First Nations people wanted their voice to be something over and above the rest of us, but that’s not so.
I was watching a news program and the host asked the person being interviewed: “Isn’t it right that the First Nations people are subjected to 18 different laws that do not apply to the rest of us Australians?”
His reply was “yes that is correct!”
So, why was the Statement from the Heart dismissed so readily?
If I was subject to laws that no other citizen was subject to, I would want a voice in the government that had a direct influence in my life.
Is that a fair go?
What do you think?
Email, Sept 2
Andrew Clarke, Lake Haven