Lidia Thorpe has revealed she would support a legislated Voice despite her deep opposition to having the proposal written into the constitution.
The firebrand Green-turned-independent senator has been actively campaigning against the Indigenous Voice to Parliament alongside the Blak Sovereign Movement.
But in an interview with ABC Radio National on Thursday, Ms Thorpe revealed she has no qualms about a legislated First Nations advisory body.
‘Absolutely,’ she said. ‘Why not?’
The firebrand Green-turned-Independent senator has been actively campaigning against the Indigenous Voice to Parliament alongside the Blak Sovereign Movement
Such a body would perform the same functions as Prime Minister Anthony Albanese‘s proposed body, giving advice to the government about ways to improve Indigenous services.
But, the key difference, is that it would not be written into the constitution.
‘If legislation comes into that Parliament, saying that they want to set up another advisory body and it’s going to be fully representative of the people, as long as we’re not in that constitution, I’ll support it,’ Ms Thorpe said.
‘We need all the help we can get in there.’
In its current form, Ms Thorpe wants no part in campaigning for a Voice. But she’s also said repeatedly over the year that she has not aligned herself with the conservative No vote.
‘I oppose the Voice because the voice is window dressing for constitutional recognition. And that’s what we have opposed for over a decade,’ she said.
But Ms Thorpe said Indigenous Australians who resisted colonisation and constitutional recognition would be able to start ‘a real healing… and truth telling journey’ in the course of a successful No vote
Mr Albanese has categorically ruled out considering legislating a Voice should to referendum fail, arguing it is not what Indigenous people asked for in the Uluru Statement from the Heart, and would go against the will of the Australian public.
Aunty Pat Anderson, an outspoken Yes campaigner and Uluru Dialogue co-chair, said the reason a legislated Voice ‘does not work for us’ is because it would be ‘subject to the whims and fancy of the politics of the day’.
‘Our organisations do not know whether they are funded from one government to the next and when there is a change of government we are back to ground zero.’
But Ms Thorpe said Indigenous Australians who resisted colonisation and constitutional recognition would be able to start ‘a real healing… and truth telling journey’ in the course of a successful No vote.
‘Most Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people want truth telling in this country that after all, was part of the Uluru statement that we’re not hearing anymore as part of this debate.
‘We’re also not talking about treaty… so I think that there is lots to look forward to and rather than think that we’ve been defeated, see this as a victory.’
A successful vote in Saturday’s referendum requires a majority of Yes votes in at least four of the six states.
The Indigenous senator said the referendum had given a platform to racists and her life was in danger after being targeted by a neo-Nazi video.
Source: | This article originally belongs to Dailymail.co.uk
Content source – www.soundhealthandlastingwealth.com
