As the nation ramps up for a referendum on recognising First Nations people in the Constitution, its helpful to reflect on the past decade of the debate and consider what a Voice could really do.
(From my settler-perspective) Wonderful article Amy. Though I'm sure you don't claim to speak for everyone, it looks like many will feel seen and heard by your article.
Beware the prognostications of demographers. However, the number of Indigenous people is going from strength to strength, and this will manifest itself at the ballot box and political power. Already, more than 7% of babies born in Australia have Indigenous ancestry. During the intercensal years 2016-2021 the Indigenous population of Victoria was doubling every 11 years, and that of Australia every 15 years. This prodigious rate of increase is unsustainable, but it seems certain that most babies born in Australia this year will live to see an Indigenous population exceeding 10,000,000.
I'm a WesT Australian and can report that the shooting Joyce Clark got reaonable amounts of publicitiy here, though perhaps not as much as it deserved. The trial was publicized very heavily. That said I only get my news from the Good old ABCnews site and I suspect on crime/police mattres it has a tendency to only publicize things that occur in the state.
Having a relisten to this in January 2024 where the context of settler colonial violence is now everyday genocide as visited upon Palestinian people, in full view of the world. The narrative controls of a media system is baring it's teeth as total propoganda for colonial settler imperialism at the cost of humanity. So, if this global re- cognition by the international community , witnessing a revealation on the extent to which white settler narratives of benevolent superiority are upheld solely by extremist violence, by warfare against sovereign people to end their very existence , and as such is rightly agreed condemned as being well outside law on a principle of justice and basic humanity - if this doesn't pose a threat in this country to the ongoing silencing of sovereignty, of the bodies, lives and communitiies in this colony , of to the silencing of the true histories past and alive here, what could? But, I realise that reflection is a rational assumption based on an intelligence comprehends mirroring and self reflection. And imperialist strategic psych is less complex than that. As a narcissistic project it simply seeks supply, twisting everything in front of it to that bent. Rereading this piece reminds me that reiterating the justice restoration that needs to be done in decriminalising of sovereign people is basic to decolonization. Unsettling the unspeakability of the frontline experiences of daily surviving and the colonial violence underpinning Australian legal frameworks, constitutional law, education, media and that well- told- by-Noel political sheepdipping of ' consulting ' in tandem with PR.. these are the starting places of action that hold power to the token fluff talk points of the settler narratives. Seems to me the feet in the streets now demonstrating solitary for Palestian survival are the same ones willing to action a decolonising of this place in 2024. The failed Voice impels so much more.
The desire and commitment of Indigenous Australians to accept their identity is a given. Ditto follow/honour their culture, kin and country (and whatever else I missed out). But can this be called ‘sovereignty’ if it has no political or legal status? Or is Amy calling for setting up of politically autonomous little regions run by local Indigenous Australians? I suspect she isn’t but I don’t really know what she does mean by the term she considers so important.
Aboriginal sovereignty was found not to have been ceded in the Mabo (No2) high court case in 1992. Have you forgotten that is why the government came up with Native Title, a watered down version of Land Rights (Allodial Title) - Constitutional Recognition can be argued that Aboriginal people have ceded their sovereignty by agreeing to be governed if a majority vote in favour of it. A Voice without the power to act will be little different to the current position of Aboriginal people in parliament calling out against gross abuses.
I'm no lawyer but my understanding was that these cases were about native title and the finding was that Native title was found to exist where it had not been extinguished and again my understanding is that in most places in Australian native title had been extinguished. In any case I'm orettt sure the Mabo decision didn't mean First Nation Australians got to set up their own self ruling entities
no one said anything about setting up self-ruling entities, it's a recognition that we had that before colonisation. the ability to govern ourselves was mostly stripped from us by the settler-colonists - so to say we still have sovereignty is a reminder that we never willingly gave it up, we didn't agree to this situation, our ancestors didn't agree either, they fought back consistently.
If that’s what it means, fair enough. Your self-governing was I’d say entirely stripped from First Nations Australians by force and not consent. I don’t’ claim deep knowledge of Australian history but I take that to be settled historical fact. It’s a little shameful that saying this is controversial in some quarters. But it seems to me if the recognition of historical wrongs (ie attempted genocide) and a determination to live as proud Indigenous Australians is a declaration of ‘sovereignty’ in 2023 we are spreading the term sovereignty beyond its meaning and will lead many people to wonder if people are aspiring to self-governing entities or just spouting proud nothings.
(From my settler-perspective) Wonderful article Amy. Though I'm sure you don't claim to speak for everyone, it looks like many will feel seen and heard by your article.
Beware the prognostications of demographers. However, the number of Indigenous people is going from strength to strength, and this will manifest itself at the ballot box and political power. Already, more than 7% of babies born in Australia have Indigenous ancestry. During the intercensal years 2016-2021 the Indigenous population of Victoria was doubling every 11 years, and that of Australia every 15 years. This prodigious rate of increase is unsustainable, but it seems certain that most babies born in Australia this year will live to see an Indigenous population exceeding 10,000,000.
I'm a WesT Australian and can report that the shooting Joyce Clark got reaonable amounts of publicitiy here, though perhaps not as much as it deserved. The trial was publicized very heavily. That said I only get my news from the Good old ABCnews site and I suspect on crime/police mattres it has a tendency to only publicize things that occur in the state.
Thanks for this Amy
Having a relisten to this in January 2024 where the context of settler colonial violence is now everyday genocide as visited upon Palestinian people, in full view of the world. The narrative controls of a media system is baring it's teeth as total propoganda for colonial settler imperialism at the cost of humanity. So, if this global re- cognition by the international community , witnessing a revealation on the extent to which white settler narratives of benevolent superiority are upheld solely by extremist violence, by warfare against sovereign people to end their very existence , and as such is rightly agreed condemned as being well outside law on a principle of justice and basic humanity - if this doesn't pose a threat in this country to the ongoing silencing of sovereignty, of the bodies, lives and communitiies in this colony , of to the silencing of the true histories past and alive here, what could? But, I realise that reflection is a rational assumption based on an intelligence comprehends mirroring and self reflection. And imperialist strategic psych is less complex than that. As a narcissistic project it simply seeks supply, twisting everything in front of it to that bent. Rereading this piece reminds me that reiterating the justice restoration that needs to be done in decriminalising of sovereign people is basic to decolonization. Unsettling the unspeakability of the frontline experiences of daily surviving and the colonial violence underpinning Australian legal frameworks, constitutional law, education, media and that well- told- by-Noel political sheepdipping of ' consulting ' in tandem with PR.. these are the starting places of action that hold power to the token fluff talk points of the settler narratives. Seems to me the feet in the streets now demonstrating solitary for Palestian survival are the same ones willing to action a decolonising of this place in 2024. The failed Voice impels so much more.
The desire and commitment of Indigenous Australians to accept their identity is a given. Ditto follow/honour their culture, kin and country (and whatever else I missed out). But can this be called ‘sovereignty’ if it has no political or legal status? Or is Amy calling for setting up of politically autonomous little regions run by local Indigenous Australians? I suspect she isn’t but I don’t really know what she does mean by the term she considers so important.
Aboriginal sovereignty was found not to have been ceded in the Mabo (No2) high court case in 1992. Have you forgotten that is why the government came up with Native Title, a watered down version of Land Rights (Allodial Title) - Constitutional Recognition can be argued that Aboriginal people have ceded their sovereignty by agreeing to be governed if a majority vote in favour of it. A Voice without the power to act will be little different to the current position of Aboriginal people in parliament calling out against gross abuses.
I'm no lawyer but my understanding was that these cases were about native title and the finding was that Native title was found to exist where it had not been extinguished and again my understanding is that in most places in Australian native title had been extinguished. In any case I'm orettt sure the Mabo decision didn't mean First Nation Australians got to set up their own self ruling entities
no one said anything about setting up self-ruling entities, it's a recognition that we had that before colonisation. the ability to govern ourselves was mostly stripped from us by the settler-colonists - so to say we still have sovereignty is a reminder that we never willingly gave it up, we didn't agree to this situation, our ancestors didn't agree either, they fought back consistently.
If that’s what it means, fair enough. Your self-governing was I’d say entirely stripped from First Nations Australians by force and not consent. I don’t’ claim deep knowledge of Australian history but I take that to be settled historical fact. It’s a little shameful that saying this is controversial in some quarters. But it seems to me if the recognition of historical wrongs (ie attempted genocide) and a determination to live as proud Indigenous Australians is a declaration of ‘sovereignty’ in 2023 we are spreading the term sovereignty beyond its meaning and will lead many people to wonder if people are aspiring to self-governing entities or just spouting proud nothings.