THE SQUIZ
The Albanese Government has started the ball rolling on implementing the Uluru Statement from the Heart by offering some draft words on the referendum question on enshrining an Indigenous Voice in the Constitution. In a speech to the Garma Festival in northeast Arnhem Land in the Northern Territory on Saturday, PM Anthony Albanese said writing the Voice into our nation’s founding document means it will “exist and endure outside of the ups and downs of election cycles and the weakness of short-term politics.”

BACK IT UP A BIT…
Let’s start at the beginning…

• The Uluru Statement from the Heart came from a big convention of Indigenous leaders in mid-2017. It’s a short document that calls for 3 things – a Voice, a Treaty, and Truth. What Albanese announced on the weekend has to do with the first of those.

• The ‘Voice’ would be a formal body of Indigenous representatives advising the Parliament and the government of the day on the issues affecting their communities.

• Enshrining the Voice in the Constitution requires a referendum, and all registered voters would get a say on it. And on the weekend, Albanese said the yes-or-no question could be: “Do you support an alteration to the Constitution that establishes an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice?” And there’s a suggestion on the words to be put into the Constitution too.

GOT IT. SO IT’S THAT SIMPLE?
Nothing’s ever that simple… Australia has a record of voting down referendums – there have been 44 proposals put to the people in 19 referendums, and only 8 changes have passed. This time, criticism centres on the scant details being offered – there’s nothing on how the reps would be picked, what will the Voice advise on, how it will work with government etc… Albanese – who’s recorded a record high satisfaction rating in this morning’s Newspoll – says the finer points would be nutted out after a referendum. He says he recognises that’s a risk, but he also wants bipartisan support from the Coalition. In their comments to date, senior Coalition MPs say they have open minds but believe disclosing the details will be essential to getting Aussies onside. And with a referendum set to happen during this term of government, you can bet we’ll be hearing a lot more about it…