On 14 October a referendum proposed by the First Nations National Constitutional Convention asked all Australians to approve Indigenous Peoples having a constituted elected body which could advise governments on legislation affecting them. It was a modest, courteous, low-cost request which would have advanced substantially the centuries-long quest for justice for the original inhabitants.
A vicious No campaign, characterised by lies, fear-mongering and overt racism, by the Coalition of the right wing National Party and so-called Liberal Party ensured the referendum was resoundingly lost. This, as we saw here last Monday, has caused profound hurt and dismay to many Australians.
Those motivated to action in response this tragedy now have options. They require clear thought, precise objectives and dedicated implementation.
Cause of the loss of the Voice
There is no doubt culpability rests entirely with the Coalition parties and their leader Peter Dutton – who gave no consideration whatsoever to what was best for Australia’s Indigenous people – but saw a chance to chalk up a win against Labor prime minister Anthony Albanese, and took it.
Understanding how Dutton doomed the referendum is not difficult. The first group he shifted immediately to the No camp were rusted-on Coalition supporters. These, fortunately, are not many. Liberal Party members number between 70,000 and 80,000, with Nationals far fewer.
The second group were white supremacists who believe Indigenous people should abandon all cultural identity, including languages, dance, songs and cultural traditions.
The third group, larger than the previous two, are those preoccupied with their own lives who give little thought to any other culture.
A small percentage of these three groups would have voted No even if Dutton and the Coalition had supported Yes. But the majority of all three groups would have happily joined the Yes camp, if it was clear all leaders were in agreement that this was a project of national unity.
Bipartisanship essential for reform
Advancement for Indigenous peoples has only ever been achieved collaboratively. The 1967 constitutional amendment to recognise Aborigines as citizens had the support of Liberal PM Harold Holt and Labor leader Gough Whitlam. It passed with 90.8% approval, with only the hard core racists holding out.
Liberal PM Malcolm Fraser and Labor Opposition leader Gough Whitlam together fixed the Northern Territory Land Rights Act (1975) – despite their bitter disputes in other areas. John Hewson and Bob Hawke collaborated through the 1980s to get the Aboriginal and Torres Straits Islander Commission up and running. The 2008 formal apology to the Stolen Generations was delivered by Labor’s Kevin Rudd with Brendan Nelson’s support.
Since federation, 45 nationwide referendums have been held, with eight having bipartisan support. All eight were won resoundingly, the other 37 all defeated miserably.
Dutton’s plan worked
The referendum loss which Dutton engineered succeeded in generating negative press for the PM – as was always inevitable.
Jubilant emails The Spectator sent out last week crowed that ‘in Question Time, the PM looked like a lost sheep, trying to find his way back from the rocky wilderness into which he had foolishly strayed’ and ‘Albanese is a rotting fashion accessory that’s ruining the whole outfit’ and ‘If the Prime Minister got it so wrong on that Voice thing, what else is he getting horribly wrong?’
The PM got nothing wrong. His role was to usher the proposal from the Indigenous communities into the Parliament – which he did. Ushers at the cinema have an important role. But they should be unobtrusive. And however professional they are, they are not named in the credits.
The treachery by Dutton and co was not against Albanese. It was against the most marginalised Australians.
The pathway to prevent such action by these malicious actors next time is to eliminate them. This can be done.
Vulnerable federal Coalition seats
The Coalition holds seven House of Representatives seats with two party preferred (2PP) vote between 50.0% and 52.0%. They are Deakin, Menzies and Casey in Victoria, Sturt in South Australia, Moore in Western Australia and Bass in Tasmania. All are vulnerable at the next election. If just 188 voters in Deakin had switched votes at the May 2022 election, that seat would have gone to Labor. The numbers are 509 in Sturt, 689 in Menzies and 693 in Moore.
Peter Dutton holds Dickson in Queensland with the slender 2PP majority of just 51.7%. If 1,682 fewer voters had supported him last year, he would have lost. It is likely now after his cynical manipulation of the referendum that at least that number will switch votes in an electorate of 113,000.
The Coalition won another 12 seats with 2PP votes between 52.0% and 55.0%. These are also vulnerable next time. In fact, Aston, which the Liberals won in 2022 with 52.8% of the vote has already been snaffled by Labor, whose candidate won the by-election in May this year with 53.6% of the vote.
Practical strategies for ejecting Coalition MPs
Those 19 Coalition seats – in all six states – will switch if grass roots campaigns are effective. Supporters of indigenous aspirations across Australia can offer their support to the non-Coalition parties and independents in all those electorates.
It doesn’t matter who wins from the Indigenous perspective – Greens, Labor, Teals, other independents or minor parties. The objective is to eliminate Coalition members.
Campaigning will involve leafleting, door-knocking, letters to local papers and fund-raising. Some of these require physical presence in the electorate. Others can be achieved remotely.
Not all 19 MPs will be turfed out in one election. Some will take two or more election cycles to remove. But that’s okay. The destruction of Indigenous aspirations and the continuation of severe health, economic and imprisonment outcomes resulting from Dutton’s opportunistic No vote will be felt for decades. The responses in outrage should also continue for decades.
If enough Australians get to serious work, the nation will not suffer such a day of shame again.
*
This is an edited version of an article published earlier today in Independent Australia, available in full for free here:
https://independentaustralia.net/politics/politics-display/coalition-and-dutton-must-pay-price-for-destroying-indigenous-aspirations,18010
*
Alan Austin is an Independent Australia columnist and freelance journalist. He gained his awareness of this topic through visiting more than 80 remote Indigenous communities as a print and radio reporter between 1975 and 2004, many of them multiple times.