Indigenous Recognition Referendum Scuttled

Right in Reconciliation Week comes confirmation – by way of tweets from the MInister for Indigenous Australians – that the Indigenous Recognition vote was not going to take place before 2022 and had been shunted to the next term of the federal parliament. This matter has been going steadily backwards since it formed the first major announcement of the new Morrison Government last year. By October 2019, it had become a “limited’ constitutional referendum sure ‘to break some hearts” so things weren’t looking promising. In January 2020 just before Australia Day, the Minister had reportedly set a timeline but that was quickly followed by a Coalition party room revolt (see News of 12 February 2020). There were Committees coming up with multiple models for how it would work at federal, State and local government level (a sure recipe for disaster); controversy over statements made by appointed members and sackings and, finally, the pandemic was blamed. More recently, rumours are circulating that female Indigenous leaders want to push ahead with truth telling (Makarrata) before there’s a vote. So this announcement came as no surprise even if the timing was. It duly passed into the ether pretty well unnoticed. Michelle Grattan puts it all in context on the link below. [“Pandemic kills Indigenous referendum” by Michelle Grattan, The Conversation online, 4 June 2020]

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