Minister Ken Wyatt says he’s taking a new plan for the Indigenous Recognition referendum to the Prime Minister. This involves a series of propositions for legislating, not enshrining in the Constitution, the Voice to Parliament; truth telling and constitutional recognition. A referendum on the last-mentioned would be held before the next election. This will be tight if the election is held in 2022 but already a date of early 2021 is reportedly being considered by the PM. The proposal is also thought to involve a consultative model for “the Voice” including existing representative bodies in the States, Territories and regions (as outlined in the last Parliamentary Inquiry). This sounds to WfaAR as overly complex leading to a complete and ineffective – and possibly costly – debacle far from what was sought in the Uluru Statement. Gridlock on this issue means more delay for the vote on the Republic. Wyatt concedes that some Indigenous people will be very disappointed but claims that is the reality of politics where opposition to the Uluru proposals still beats strongly within Coalition ranks. Read more on link below. [“Ken Wyatt says he had Indigenous voice to parliament plan for Scott Morrison” by Katharine Murphy, The Guardian online, 17 October 2019]
Woman for an Australian Republic, Adelaide Ironside, republican poet and artist 1831-1867
Self portrait 1855, Newcastle Art Gallery NSW
