Ian Wishart is the CEO of The Fred Hollows Foundation. Fred Hollows’ original mission to improve the health of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples lives on in the work we do. The Fred Hollows Foundation’s Board and staff have supported the Uluru Statement from the Heart since it was first shared. We have accepted the invitation of the Uluru Statement from the Heart to walk alongside Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples for a better future.
Reform the Answer to Giving Indigenous Australians a Voice
By Ian Wishart
The Fred Hollows Foundation supports the Uluru Statement from the Heart and its call for a constitutionally enshrined First Nations Voice to Parliament.
After almost five years of delay, media reports suggest the Australian Government will release its final report on the Indigenous Voice codesign process before the end of the year. Reports claim the Government plans to push through a legislated Voice model before the next election.
This may appear to be action, but for most Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples it’s a classic wedge. The model proposed goes against their direct wishes as set out in the Uluru Statement from the Heart. They respectfully asked for a constitutionally-enshrined First Nations Voice to Parliament and they are being told what is best for them is something else. A constitutional solution was called for to prevent exactly this kind of condescension.
The Uluru Statement from the Heart was delivered in 2017. It was based on an extraordinary and unprecedented consultation process undertaken by the Referendum Council, which included 13 Regional Dialogues and the first National Constitutional Convention convened by, with and for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples. It reflects the consensus reached on what meaningful constitutional change looks like for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples.
A constitutionally-enshrined Voice to Parliament is the only form of constitutional change that has wide and broad support from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples.
Any move by the Morrison Government to rush legislation through Parliament, when no one has seen the final recommendations of the report, goes directly against Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples’ right to self-determination. It also goes against the Government-appointed Joint Select Committee on Constitutional Recognition relating to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples 2018, which recommended the Government “consider, in a deliberate and timely manner, legislative, executive and constitutional options to establish The Voice”.
There is nothing timely about this process and there is nothing deliberate about this process. Rushing legislation before Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples have even seen it is not timely, its disrespectful. Dismissing the constitutional option out of hand in 2017, as former Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull did, was not deliberative it was insulting. Then excluding constitutional enshrinement from the Terms of Reference of the current codesign process was yet another manipulation.
Photo credit: Michael Amendolia.
A constitutionally-enshrined First Nations Voice is critical, as this will ensure that it cannot be abolished by governments if priorities change or they don’t like its advice. Unfortunately, the Australian Government has a track record of defunding and dismantling legislated First Nations Voices. In 2004 Prime Minister John Howard abolished the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Commission, which was set up to advise governments on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Affairs. In 2013, Prime Minister Tony Abbott defunded the National Congress of Australia’s First Peoples, which was a national representative body.
With history as our guide, a constitutional Voice is the only option that will deliver the authority and certainty required for a durable First Nations Voice on laws and policies which affect Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples.
All people have a right to be involved in decisions that affect them. A constitutionally-enshrined Voice to Parliament would finally ensure that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples are heard and can make decisions about their lives. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples know what is best for their communities. A constitutionally-enshrined Voice to Parliament would make our nation stronger, and it would create a more equal society for everyone. It is a fair and practical reform that will lead to better policies and outcomes for First Nations Peoples.
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples deserve far better than rushed legislation that goes against their express wishes. We need this Government to commit to calling a constitutional referendum in the next term of Parliament, if reelected. Labor has committed to implementing the calls of the Uluru Statement from the Heart in full if it is elected. But we also need a concrete commitment from them that, if elected, they will call a referendum in the next term of Parliament.
Polls consistently show that most Australians support a constitutionally-enshrined Voice to Parliament, and the right of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples to have a say over the matters that affect them. We need Australians to be loud about their support now. Talk to your friends and family about why you support the Statement. Write to your MP. Get your organisation to make a public statement of support.
Together we can make this happen.
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In 2016 I published a blog article titled Moonshots for Australia: 7 For Now. It’s one of many I have posted on business and innovation in Australia. In that book, I highlighted a number of Industries of the Future among a number of proposed Moonshots. I self-published a book, Innovation in Australia – Creating prosperity for future generations, in 2019, with a follow-up COVID edition in 2020. There is no doubt COVID is causing massive disruption. Prior to COVID, there was little conversation about National Sovereignty or supply chains. Even now, these topics are fading, and we remain preoccupied with productivity and jobs! My motivation for this writing has been the absence of a coherent narrative for Australia’s business future. Over the past six years, little has changed. The Australian ‘psyche’ regarding our political and business systems is programmed to avoid taking a long-term perspective. The short-term nature of Government (3 to 4-year terms), the short-term horizon of the business system (driven by shareholder value), the media culture (infotainment and ‘gotcha’ games), the general Australian population’s cynical perspective and a preoccupation with a lifestyle all create a malaise of strategic thinking and conversation. Ultimately, it leads to a leadership vacuum at all levels. In recent years we have seen the leadership of some of our significant institutions failing to live up to the most basic standards, with Royal Commissions, Inquiries and investigations consuming excessive time and resources. · Catholic Church and other religious bodies · Trade Unions · Banks (and businesses generally, take casinos, for example) · the Australian Defence Force · the Australian cricket teams · our elected representatives and the staff of Parliament House As they say, “A fish rots from the head!” At best, the leadership behaviour in those institutions could be described as unethical and, at worst….just bankrupt! In the last decade, politicians have led us through a game of “leadership by musical chairs” – although, for now, it has stabilised. However, there is still an absence of a coherent narrative about business and wealth creation. It is a challenge. One attempt to provide such a narrative has been the Intergenerational Reports produced by our federal Government every few years since 2002. The shortcomings of the latest Intergenerational Report Each Intergenerational Report examines the long-term sustainability of current government policies and how demographic, technological, and other structural trends may affect the economy and the budget over the next 40 years. The fifth and most recent Intergenerational Report released in 2021 (preceded by Reports in 2002, 2007, 2010 and 2015) provides a narrative about Australia’s future – in essence, it is an extension of the status quo. The Report also highlights three key insights: 1. First, our population is growing slower and ageing faster than expected. 2. The Australian economy will continue to grow, but slower than previously thought. 3. While Australia’s debt is sustainable and low by international standards, the ageing of our population will pressure revenue and expenditure. However, its release came and went with a whimper. The recent Summit on (what was it, Jobs and Skills and productivity?) also seems to have made the difference of a ‘snowflake’ in hell in terms of identifying our long-term challenges and growth industries. Let’s look back to see how we got here and what we can learn. Australia over the last 40 years During Australia’s last period of significant economic reform (the late 1980s and early 1990s), there was a positive attempt at building an inclusive national narrative between Government and business. Multiple documents were published, including: · Australia Reconstructed (1987) – ACTU · Enterprise Bargaining a Better Way of Working (1989) – Business Council of Australia · Innovation in Australia (1991) – Boston Consulting Group · Australia 2010: Creating the Future Australia (1993) – Business Council of Australia · and others. There were workshops, consultations with industry leaders, and conferences across industries to pursue a national microeconomic reform agenda. Remember these concepts? · global competitiveness · benchmarking · best practice · award restructuring and enterprising bargaining · training, management education and multiskilling. This agenda was at the heart of the business conversation. During that time, the Government encouraged high levels of engagement with stakeholders. As a result, I worked with a small group of training professionals to contribute to the debate. Our contribution included events and publications over several years, including What Dawkins, Kelty and Howard All Agree On – Human Resources Strategies for Our Nation (published by the Australian Institute of Training and Development). Unfortunately, these long-term strategic discussions are nowhere near as prevalent among Government and industry today. The 1980s and 1990s were a time of radical change in Australia. 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