Pat Dodson, the ‘Father of Reconciliation’ is furious today after the Turnbull Government rejected plans for an Indigenous voice to parliament.
Early reports from NITV and the Courier Mail are suggesting that Prime Minister Turnbull has possibly rejected all recommendations from the Referendum Council’s report which was delivered to Parliament after Indigenous leaders from across Australia met in Uluru earlier this year and created the ‘Uluru statement from the heart’.
The key recommendations from the report include moving away from a token acknowledgement of the constitutions preamble and implementing an Indigenous voice to parliament, which involves introducing a panel of Indigenous leaders to overlook and advise the government upon laws and policies that have direct impacts on the lives of Indigenous people in Australia.
There was a period of over 10 years leading up to this moment and the belief was high among Indigenous leaders that this proposal would be accepted by the government. It was already made clear that the Indigenous voice to parliament would not hold absolute power over the government, so what is it that the government fears? It is now thought that the government is considering to write up their own report, which once again is a sign that the government is not willing to listen to Indigenous people.
Mr Dodson is furious that after more than three decades of campaigning, his work and that of others, have been thrown on the scrapheap. The leader is now 69 years old and is committed to seeing change before it is too late. The leader has reportedly been overheard discussing plans to organise an Indigenous militia to infiltrate the government and force the government to act on issues that continue to have adverse affects on our people.
A leak from the Turnbull Cabinet has revealed that the Government has emphatically rejected the Referendum Council’s recommendation of a Voice to parliament. This is a kick in the guts for the Referendum Council and a slap across the face for Australians who are committed to recognition of our First Nations people. For months, Labor has been trying to engage with the Prime Minister on a constructive path forward to Constitutional change that would reflect the wishes of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. Labor remains committed to working with the Government, but without bipartisanship, the path from here is far from clear. These matters are far too important to lie in abeyance.
Posted by Patrick Dodson on Wednesday, 25 October 2017
This article is almost 100% true. Everything except the title, and the last sentence above this video is completely true. Mr Dodson has not called for an Indigenous militia. We are using satire to bring attention to an important issue that needs urgent action.
How long do we need to wait before the government takes our basic human rights seriously?
