Independent Senator Lidia Thorpe explained her controversial decision to potentially abstain from voting on the upcoming Voice referendum.
“I can’t support something that gives us no power and I certainly can’t support a ‘no’ campaign that is looking more like a white supremacy campaign,” Senator Thorpe said on ABC’s Insiders earlier this week.
“I’m considering to abstain from the up and coming vote,” she revealed.
Although Senator Thorpe said she may abstain in both the senate and the public referendum later this year, she emphasised that she will “continue to fight for justice” and noted her amendment to the Constitution Alteration bill.
“We need to start discussing sovereignty in this country that will ultimately bring power to First Nations people, which is what my amendment talks about.”
“A Voice may give advice to the parliament… Well ‘may’ is not good enough, as far as we’re concerned and we want real power. We want to be acknowledged as Sovereigns in this country, just as The Crown is acknowledged as a Sovereign,” Senator Thorpe said.
‘Truth before Treaty or Voice’
City Hub reached out to Senator Thorpe to discuss what exactly she would like to see The Government implement in terms of the Voice.
“Myself and many others have repeatedly emphasised the importance of Truth before Treaty or Voice,” she said.
“We need to go on a journey together as a nation,” Senator Thorpe continued, “The first step is understanding the impacts of colonisation in this country. It is about the coming together of people at a grassroots and community level, the knowledge, wisdom and voices are there waiting to be heard.”
“Truth telling will assist all Australians to understand the true history of what’s happened and is happening and open the path to healing for all of us,” she said.
“There can’t be progress if we don’t understand how we have come to be at this point in history.”
Senator Thorpe has also been vocal about her skepticism regarding what the Government’s process will be for establishing The Voice, saying on Insiders that ultimately “It’s up to the parliament to decide what the Voice looks like.”
She told City Hub how she would like to ensure a diverse range of First Nations voices are heard in Parliament.
Senator Thorpe at Mardi Gras 2023. Image: Facebook
“The simple first step to ensure voices are heard is to implement the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous People, which would ensure that it’s not a bunch of bureaucrats being heard but that we have the right to represent our distinct tribes and language groups according to our own cultural ways.”
Unfortunately, the Voice does not necessarily guarantee a diverse representation of First Nations tribes and language groups, although it is stated in the design principles that “the Voice will be chosen by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people based on the wishes of local communities.”
The actual means by which this will occur are not specified in these principles.
A Voice Without Power
Additionally, whilst the independent body will be able to advise the Parliament and Government, they will essentially have no power outside of this.
“There is nothing about the Voice that contributes to Treaty,” Senator Thorpe told City Hub.
“For there to be Treaty our Sovereignty must be recognised and the government must step aside and give First Nations people the space to define and design our own representative bodies,” she said.
“Treaty requires First Nations people to have bodies that are independent of government to negotiate with government. According to the proposed Constitutional Amendment the Voice body will be defined by parliament.”
For many ‘yes’ campaigners, however, the Voice is still a step in the right direction, albeit a much smaller step than Treaty or Sovereignty would be.
For instance, the NSW Aboriginal Land Council (NSWALC) said in a statement to City Hub that the they believe “a Constitutionally enshrined First Nations Voice to Parliament and a Makarrata (truth-telling) Commission is the best step forward for this country.”
“We believe the Voice reaffirms the core principles of truth-telling, justice and self-determination outlined at Uluru.”
Deputy Chairperson Cr Ross Hampton said, “I attended the Voice Referendum Engagement Group meeting in Yulara and Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park, on the lands of the Yankunytjatjara and Pitjantjatjara peoples, last week where we discussed our role in engaging with First Nations communities and the broader Australian public, to ensure all Australians are able to fully participate in the referendum and walk together to a better future.’’
NSWALC has been raising awareness and understanding of the Voice referendum among the community and the Land Rights network.
Cr Grace Toomey, NSWALC elected councillor for the Central Region is attending Voice workshops this week across central NSW, inlcuding at Mudgee, Wellington, Nyngan, Narromine, Gilgandra and Dubbo.
“Our CEO, Yuseph Deen, and NSWALC Councillors, Cr Anne Dennis and Cr Toomey, recently attended the United Nations Permanent Forum on the Rights of Indigenous People at the UN in New York where we argued for our right to self-determination and the recognition and protection of the rights of Indigenous peoples,” the NSWALC statement said.
“At NSWALC, we represent the best interests of all Aboriginal peoples in NSW, and we believe the best step forward is through Constitutional recognition and a pathway that supports Voice, Treaty and Truth telling, ’’Cr Hampton said.
Racism Rising within Voice Discourse
However, NSWALC is concerned about the increase in racist rhetoric in the Voice discourses, something many First Nations twitter users called out last week.
This rampant rise in racism would surely come as no surprise to Senator Thorpe who recently called out former Greens Colleague Senator Sarah Hanson-Young for failing to stand up against racism in the party. Senator Hanson-Younf rejected the accusation.
“I’ve experienced racism all my life, in every workplace, and The Greens were no different,” Senator Thorpe said on Insiders.
“It is very important we encourage people to engage in respectful dialogue in discussions about the Voice. Our community is diverse, we will have differing opinions. It’s important that we treat people with respect and actively listen, ’’ Cr Hampton said.
