Indigenous Voice  ‘suspicious’ – Howard

FORMER Prime Minister John Howard has described Labor’s efforts to implement an Indigenous Voice as suspicious, saying the Coalition appeared increasing hostile to the idea. 

Mr Howard said there were substantial arguments against the Voice and that it was unlikely to be supported by Liberal & National MPs. 

Among people I see as part of the Liberal base I don’t find any reaction to the voice other than one of hostility…
Hon John Howard
Former Prime Minister of Australia

“I think what the Coalition should do is what it’s doing at the moment – that is, waiting until they get more information. But the Labor Government is not big on explaining the Voice,” he told The Australian newspaper on the weekend.

“Among people I see as part of the Liberal base I don’t find any reaction to the voice other than one of hostility,” he said.

CRITICAL

“I haven’t found anybody who accepts the proposition that you ought just to give it a go.

“Not everyone talks about it. But those who talk about it are critical. And those in turn who are critical – when it comes to having the Voice in legislation – they might see that as a possible compromise.

“But I don’t see the [Albanese] government willing to do that.”

Mr Howard said people were suspicious of enshrining the Voice into the Constitution.

“My sense is that people are suspicious of the idea of a Voice,” he said.

“I don’t get the impression the Voice is something that is going to unite the country the way the 1967 referendum did because that was just so palpably fair, whereas people are suspicious of the voice.

“People saw the 1967 referendum as a demonstration of our good faith. But people see the Voice as creating potential divisions.”

Of the 25 referendums initiated by a Labor government, 24 have suffered defeat.

Mr Howards views are aligned to Aboriginal Senator Jacinta Price and Indigenous leader Warren Mundine.

ELITIST

Mr Mundine has branded the Voice an “elitist” concept not supported by a lot of Indigenous people “on the ground” and has said: “We do not need this in the Constitution.”

“Everywhere I go in Australia I am asked the same question by Aboriginal people,” he said.

“They want to know ‘what is the Voice?’ They say ‘why should we be supporting this when nobody can tell us what it means?’

“The voice is an elitist concept. It has support at elite levels, Aboriginals, academics, people in organisations, business and corporations.

“But I’m taking my campaign to ordinary people.”

Senator Price has also condemned a proposed constitutional change, saying Australians shouldn’t be divided along racial lines.

“Aboriginal people already have a voice – in parliament like everybody else,” she said.

“How many more voices in parliament can we possibly have and if the current voices aren’t working, then maybe it’s time to vote in somebody else.

“That’s how a democracy works.”

She said race-based representation was a mistake.

“We are all Australian citizens here,” she said.

“We’re a democratic nation and I don’t think Australian people want to be divided along the lines of race.” PC

MAIN PHOTOGRAPH:  John Howard. (courtesy ABC News)

12 thoughts on “Indigenous Voice ‘suspicious’ – Howard

  1. From 1948 we became One Nation when we were given freedom from being under British Rules and heralded in an Australia Day 🙂 Now we have Labor, Greens, Teals, Communists, Socialists all trying to remove our freedoms! Make no mistake it is a LIE and added to by the UN lies and WEF! We are One Nation! And would be wiser to support that One Nation Party and drain the swamp of all the criminals that won’t be! Lets make this NSW election a thing to remember and return our loyalties to Pauline and mark under One Nation Preferences 🙂

  2. Based on the 1967 Referendum that was passed Parliament legislated for establishment of an Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Commission. It was shut down following investigation of a lack of governance and corruption.

    The Albanese Labor and minority activist groups now propose a Referendum to change the Constitution including establishment of a “Voice” for Indigenous Australians, Australians claiming to have indigenous ancestry, ignoring the right of Indigenous Australians to vote and for the eleven now serving in Federal Parliament as democratically elected Members.

    The proposed organisation would be known as: Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Voice.

    To follow would be a “Treaty” between fellow Australians based on past history and activist claims, for example that there were “First Nations”. I can find no evidence to support that claim but I have found information on there having been over 250 tribal groups and many languages and dialects spoken.

    I will not vote yes for changes to our Constitution with no details provided as to what those changes would be, and the Prime Minister planning to not reveal the now secret objectives until we vote yes.

    Recently the Prime Minister commented that the Constitution is “archaic”, let’s remember that.

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  3. All it takes is for some socialist influence to infiltrate ‘the voice’ (its infiltrated everything else) and put its opinions forward, then because its in the constitution the supreme court will rule in its favour. Then you have a socialist ruling on anything and everything that may affect first nation in some way, or can be construed as affecting first nations and they’ll find a way to extrapolate to the whole country. So you have takeover of the country by deception. We already have enough of that now, time to reverse the trend.

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  4. It’s labor policy at all 3 levels of government right across this nation, to try to buy the vote of various groups in society. Aboriginals are one such group. Their “disadvantage”, and “closing the gap” are rubbish. If you want to know how sincere the politicians are about this, ask them many aboriginals are in their inner circle? Then ask how many of them are REAL aboriginals, not just cross breeds. Hawke started the trend because one of his rather estranged children was very pro-aboriginal – may even have lived with or worked with aboriginals. Similarly he tried to address the drug problem because one of his children had a drug problem. It is likely that the coalition has no option but to follow suit. Tony Abbott, as good as he was, disappointed me in this respect.

  5. Howard is on the mark here and he would never do the apology crap that Rudd did as he knew it would never stop and open the gates to the white guilt clap trap that has opened Australia up to more more more whilst being divided more more more . The ALP are nothing but a Communist Regime .

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    1. Interesting fact that Anthony Albanese is a long time follower of the late Russian Marxist revolutionary Leon Trotsky, Julia Gillard was the founder of the ALP Socialist Forum faction and Kevin Rudd a Christian Socialist as he admitted on ABC Compass in 2006 when he identified UK Labour PM Tony Blair was his friend and fellow Christian Socialist, both followers of a deceased German socialist.

      And that the ALP Constitution, revised copy now published, refers to socialism based objectives.

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  6. One of the gambits of the Left in their blind support of the voice is to compare the voice campaign to the success of the same-sex marriage campaign. Falling into the trap of false equivalence has long been an achievement of the Left. They seem unable to understand that while SSM was an exercise in which 3%of the population were given the same rights as the majority 97%, the voice is the reverse. Three per cent of the population will be given rights that exceed those of the majority 97%.

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  7. Thought of the day: As the descendants of tribal groups who are Indigenous Australians of today fight among themselves over Mt Warning and lands, how could there be a real and effective Voice for all Indigenous ancestry Australians?

    Warren Mundine and other Indigenous Australians have pointed out that traditional laws do not permit an outsider from another tribal group to speak inside any other tribal group.

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  8. The voice is so obviously a far-left activist objective with not disclosed agenda items if it succeeds at a referendum. Minister Burney has several times mention that a treaty is next, but has not explained how a treaty between fellow Australians can be enacted.

    And already there are warning signals, no details provided for example, millions of dollars of taxpayer’s monies being spent on promotion, no funding provided for the NO WAY case.

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  9. Voice first. Then republic.
    Then we laugh in the faces of the pitiful empire grovellers, sobbing over the loss of their bigoted colonial mono culture.

    1. You’re a sick specimen Noel. Is cave life too advanced for you – and your dopey travellers? Dear Mummy was obviously wrong about your importance.

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