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By HARRY CLARKE
NORTH Queensland MP Bob Katter stopped short of supporting the proposed Voice to Parliament but said he believed there should be a referendum on how Indigenous Australians are represented in Federal Parliament.
Speaking in Canberra the Member for Kennedy, whose electorate encompasses Aboriginal communities from across the Cape York Peninsula to the Northern Territory border, said an alternative to the Voice should be a designated Indigenous senator.
Katter said he believed the Voice would “not come to grips with the problems we’ve got” with regard to low Indigenous employment rates and life expectancy.
“It will make them feel good, and I’m sure they’ll do it with the best of intentions, but will it achieve anything?” Katter said.
“Other people have spoken about tokenism, separatism, paternalism .. I think that’s being unfair.
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“I think the people initiating this have genuine beliefs that they’re doing the right thing, but there is no doubt that there is an awful lot of people, First Australian people in community areas … they’re not saying it, but they’re thinking that it is tokenism, separatism and paternalism.
“Give us separate representation, that’s what we’re asking here – representation for the remote community areas … to give some sort of special representation to these areas.
“We believe absolutely that it should go in the referendum that those areas should be given one senator to represent the remote, clearly delineated areas that are overwhelmingly First Australian.”
In a statement Katter added: “Whilst I’m not advocating people vote against this proposal, I am urging in the strongest possible way against a continuation of tokenism, separatism and paternalism”.
The Albanese Government has promised a referendum on an Indigenous Voice to Parliament, which would create a new body enshrined in the Constitution that would enable Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people to advise government on policies and projects which affect them.
A draft of the referendum, which would need a majority of ‘yes’ votes in a majority of states to pass, reads as follows:
There shall be a body, to be called the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice. The Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice may make representations to Parliament and the Executive government on matters relating to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples. The Parliament shall, subject to this Constitution, have power to make laws with respect to the composition, functions, powers and procedures of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice.
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Katter’s announcement follows the National party’s declaration yesterday that it would not be supporting the Voice.
Nationals senator Jacinta Nampijinpa Price (Warlpiri) said she believed the proposed referendum lacked detail and criticised the notion of Australians being “governed” according to race.
“Why should I, as an Indigenous Australian, be governed under a separate entity than the rest of Australia because of my race?” Price said.
“I’ve spoken to people throughout communities in the Northern Territory, those whose first language is not English, who don’t understand a thing about what this Voice proposal is about, who are living their day to day worrying about how they’re not going to encounter violence in their lives.
“These are the issues that people are concerned with now. They’re not sitting around waiting for a proposal to come up with details as to how its going to improve their lives.”
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Indigenous Affairs Minister Linda Burney told parliament yesterday that “decades of failed government policies have not worked” to close the gap of disadvantage for Aboriginal people, and that the Voice was “the best chance we have”.
“This isn’t about more bureaucracy, this is about making sure voices in remote and regional communities are heard,” Burney said.
“The Uluru Statement from the Heart” is the result of 12 regional dialogues … over 1,200 attendees from right across this counrty. This isn’t about dividing people, it’s about uniting Australians, giving First Nations people a say in the matters that affect us – not being told what’s best by beureaucrats.”
“Not everyone can have their voice heard and that’s why we need a Voice – an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice is an idea whose time has come.”