Re the letter written by Nalini Padmanabhan (CCN 403) – with the greatest respect, you clearly haven’t read the Uluru Statement from the Heart, or understood the proposal.
This gracious invitation by the First Nations (people) of this country is a very modest proposal to be recognised in Australia’s Constitution as the people who inhabited this land when the settlers came.
They are also asking that governments listen to them through the establishment of an advisory group that would be called The Voice.
A very reasonable ask given the history of the interactions between first settlers and indigenous peoples.
Where on earth you got the nonsense about rights to land and GDP forcefully portioned out, I do not know; but this is rubbish.
And finally, this has nothing to do with Mr Albanese or the government.
This invitation was made by First Nations directly to the Australian people.
If the referendum is defeated it will be a slap in the face to a whole generation of indigenous leaders.
It will be profound disrespect.
As indigenous leader Noel Pearson has recently said, they offered their hand to the Australian people, and if it is refused it will be a collective insult both devastating and unforgettable.
Vote Yes.
Email, Aug 25
Susan Biggs, Pretty Beach
Susan, I have read the Uluru Statement and it appears that the Voice is the first step. The next steps are Treaty, Makarrata and Co-sovereignty including traditional law. So the 97% of non-indigenous Australians have to sign away their sovereignty and pay reparations to the 3% in perpetuity.
We don’t even know who will be on the Voice, what it will have the power to do, or more importantly how will improve the lives of disadvantage Aborigines and Torres Strait Islanders.
If you don’t know then you are obligated to Vote No.
Scott, you misunderstand the term sovereignty. They do not want to “take over” Australia. They simply want recognition that they were the first inhabitants of this land. James Cook disobeyed his orders which were to make a treaty with whoever might be here. Instead he declared it Terra Nullius —- a land with no inhabitants. This left it open for the land to be “claimed” and the inhabitants forced out.
Australia is one of the few former British colonies with no treaty with the original inhabitants —- United States, Canada, N Z have all had them for many years. We are very slow.
Makarrata simply means truth telling. We have been taught ad told so much since colonisation which was deliberately untrue. It’s time to face up to the facts
Please check the history and facts before you spread misinformation.