“Pearson said detail would be in legislation made by the parliament but the referendum was about the constitution.
“It’s the parliamentarians who have the responsibility to come up with the detail,” he told ABC Radio.
“The Australian people are being asked to vote on a constitutional amendment. All of the power lies with the parliament and it’s a complete diversion to demand these details.”…
A referendum on the Voice offers another national opportunity for Australia to continue its journey of coming to terms with its past. A yes vote offers the opportunity to renovate the constitution from a document that is silent about the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander history of this continent and which permits discrimination on the basis of race. As the Uluru statement from the heart says: In 1967, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people “were counted, in 2017 we seek to be heard”.
Source: Politicians must trust the people on Indigenous Voice to Parliament
Let’s not rush to criticise the ABC as appeasing Aunty’s political masters and critics will only hasten her demise and the rise of a media Murdochracy.
Source: Media Sauce: Putting criticism of the ABC into perspective
Noel Pearson has blasted the Prime Minister and Opposition Leader after the first day of a summit on Indigenous recognition in Sydney, saying the event was “stage-managed” and left a “bitter taste” in his mouth.
Tony Abbott and Bill Shorten hosted about 40 of the nation’s most influential Indigenous representatives at Kirribilli House today to discuss a possible referendum to recognise Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in the constitution.
As the founder of the Cape York Institute for Policy and Leadership and a prominent Indigenous leader, Mr Pearson attended the event, but he told the ABC’s Radio National Drive program he would have “preferred to stay in Cape York … and sent a cardboard cut-out” to the meeting instead.
He said the way forward had “already been nutted out” between Mr Abbott and Mr Shorten prior to the meeting but they “both did a very good job of pretending to listen”.
“I thought it was an important event, highly stage-managed I might say,” Mr Pearson said.
“I had a grin across my face for most of the morning but … having been manoeuvred through the morning towards a pre-determined outcome started to taste a bit bitter in my mouth.”
Earlier, Mr Pearson told the ABC’s Lateline program the meeting was a good start, but “largely redundant”.
“Everybody gave speeches around the table and the Prime Minister allowed everyone to speak and speak twice in my case and other people’s cases who can’t stop talking,” he said.
“The process had been predetermined. In terms of input to the process going forward, the exercise was largely redundant but it was a good chance to hear everybody make a commentary around where they stood in relation to recognition.”
Speaking after the meeting, Mr Abbott said the talks on the wording of the possible referendum were collegiate.
He said community consultation was the next step.
“What I think we’ve done today is laid out a process which will enable all Australians to have a deeper, better informed and much more structured conversation about what this constitutional change could look like,” Mr Abbott said.
We didn’t come to concluded views on models or propositions but I do think we made a fair amount of progress on the steps that are needed to go forward.
Patrick Dodson
“I am confident that the time is right, I think that there is an abundance of goodwill, I think that we are good enough, big enough and brave enough to do this, but it is important that we get it right and that’s what today’s process is all about.”
Mr Shorten said the summit had maintained the momentum towards a vital change.
“I think at the heart of what was spoken about today, is a recognition that if this nation is to move forward, we need a constitution which recognises all Australians and doesn’t exclude our first Australians,” he said.
There is currently no mention of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in the constitution, and no recognition they were the first Australians.
Today’s meeting came in the wake of a Fairfax Ipsos poll which said 85 per cent of people supported the constitutional recognition of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people as Australia’s first inhabitants.
West Australian Indigenous leader Patrick Dodson said today’s summit was respectful and constructive.
“It was a great occasion, a great event, a historic event and terribly meaningful, I think, in the context of what we’re trying to do around a very complicated matter,” he said.
“We didn’t come to concluded views on models or propositions but I do think we made a fair amount of progress on the steps that are needed to go forward.
“The details, of course, are going to have to be nutted out but at least the broad framework and parameters were agreed.”
Kirstie Parker, the co-chair of the National Congress of Australia’s First Peoples, said the summit brought together a diverse range of voices, all aiming to right a wrong in Australia’s history.
But she said it is just the first step.
“We believe this process must bring about substantive reform. We don’t believe that symbolic change is enough,” Ms Parker said.
As part of constitutional recognition, Mr Pearson is pushing for an all-Indigenous body, elected by Indigenous people, to make representations in Federal Parliament.
“I’ve been pushing the idea of a constitutional body to enable us as Indigenous people to talk about our heritage, our communities, our native title and our languages and culture in a way that Parliament can hear us,” he said.
I think the moment we move to recognition of Indigenous first nations we’ll enter a phase where race will just be a concept from the 19th and 20th century.
Noel Pearson
“Indigenous people must choose [the representatives]. I’d like to see eminent elders speaking to our Parliament about issues of concern to them.”
He said constitutional recognition would empower the next generation of Indigenous Australians.
“I have this great hope that my children are going to be Australians, they’re going to participate in the political life of this country unrestrainedly,” he said.
“At the moment, for example, we’re characterised as a race and it affects our whole psychology, not just the blackfellas, the whitefellas too, because the whitefellas think we’re a separate race and treat us as a race and we ourselves have internalised that.
“I think the moment we move to recognition of Indigenous first nations we’ll enter a phase where race will just be a concept from the 19th and 20th century that we put behind us, and we as blackfellas won’t have this negative idea of race about ourselves and hopefully the wider community will stop having low expectations of us.”
‘Absolutely. Forget this divisive, offensive and ultimately dangerous race industry. We’re just one people, one “race”, sharing a continent and bounded by a single law.’
Noel Pearson and Bolt agree that in a perfect world race has no place. Hitler also believed that.It’s not unusual for those talking about heaven. Bolt often confuses reality with heaven where nobody is a racist. But in this reality he is. The racial distinctions he wants abandoned exist. To deny it’s existence changes nothing it in fact supports racism. Bolt is a racist.
Apart from that this school boy debater is pathetic. His snide remark on Pearson’s comment
” he is plainly and astonishingly wrong about Aborigines not have citizenship until 1967″
shows his ignorant & bluenosed nature .Yes in 1967 Aborigines were finally recognized as countable humans in this country and not just flowerpots by our census. Yes they could vote. But for the first time they were actually notified they had a right to vote that it was compulsory and the polls came to them. Prior to that they remained uninformed, un -fined and excluded. This fact alone makes Bolt’s comment on Pearson elitist banal purely self-serving.He is as highly regarded as medical waste.
“But then Pearson, having denounced the race industry and racism in the constitution, bizarrely proposes a change even more racist and divisive – a separate parliament for the Aboriginal race:”
“In fact, Aborigines have a representative body already. It’s called the Australian Parliament. (There are also state parliaments and local councils.) Andrew Bolt
“What Pearson wants is a further parliament just for one “race”, to give members of that “race” more power than members of other “races”, and a different legal status.”
You see Andrew Bolt thinks he is already in heaven and Pearson is a barbarian at the gate a feral
“This would dismember our polity and our community.”
“No to racism. No to racial division. No to this racist change to our constitution.”
Simply put Bolt lies he doesn’t just misrepresent Noel Pearson he lies and purjures himself there is nothing about an alternative parliament other than in Bolts imagination. Pearson as quoted by Bolt merely says
“And the alternative, it seems to me, is that Aboriginal people should be in a position to say what laws and policies apply to our own people.”
“It’s a capacity to be involved in advising the parliamentary process in respect of laws and policies that apply to our people“…
Hello industry has Associations they have lobbyists who advise on behalf of their interests. Bolt would deny that opportunity to Aborigines and Torres Strait Islanders, Muslims and others
Pearson unlike Bolt even explains why minorities need this capacity quite succinctly
“the future, if there is social and economic provisioning for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders, it should be on the basis of need, not race. It’s because we’re needy Australians, just like Muslim Australians or white Australians might have social and economic needs, so too do certain Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders. Let’s move from race to need as the basis of government action.”
Pearson is not swanning around in Bolt’s idea of heaven on earth disrupted by whinging minorities. He is talking about social reality today and it’s uneven distribution of human rights, fairness and justice. Pearson is asking to be heard and included.
“It’s a capacity to be involved in advising the parliamentary process in respect of laws and policies that apply to our people…”
“what kind of fulcrum do we need in our constitutional structure that at least enables the mouse to determine what laws and policies should apply to us as an Indigenous people? Our democratic process should empower us and enliven us to do that.”
Bolt is a distasteful human being who has a voice which he would deny others because if heard change might just occur.
Andrew Bolt plays the man and not the ball
Bolt who whines at the drop of a hat and has done so for years about his misguided treatment and ‘guilty finding ‘ under the RDA section 18C has the spite to question the wisdom of The Cape York Welfare Trial that was put together under the leadership of Noel Pearson? Bolt who has media access 24/7 and has made our ears and eyeballs bleed with his hard luck story raises Noel Pearson’s manners as his confirmation of doubt about the project. What an unpolished turd is.
Because The Cape York Welfare Trail has been such a success Bolt can’t criticize it directly but he does it by innuendo slur.
“Noel Pearson’s name – and political contacts – save a program I am assured does good, but comes at an astonishing cost:”
$100 million is incredible, given the four towns between them have fewer than 3500 people, according to census figures.
Does Bolt mention the trial was over a 4 year period and equates to approx $7000 per head? Bolts blog is full of “I hear” and “I heard” all second-hand crap cobbled together to deliver his sucker punch:
The story presented a troubling portrait of a charismatic bully who has extracted millions of dollars of funding for indigenous programs from governments and corporations, via persuasion or browbeating. The portrait of Pearson’s older brother, Gerhardt, was also troubling.
What’s “troubling” Bolt? The lack of kowtowing?
What Bolt can’t say “don’t give them the money ” because that’s too obvious the program is a success and even has the support of people he sucks up to. However because the Pearson brothers don’t reflect the manners of grateful blacks is Bolt’s issue. That Noel can hold a grudge against white professionals and journalists somehow lessens his qualifications to be in charge of a $100 mill scheme. Tony ” you fucking lesbian bitch” Abbott is our PM and I agree he doesn’t deserve to run this country given his last 8 mths in government but not because of his potty mouth alone.
Pearson has the strong support and admiration of Prime Minister Tony Abbott and The Australian newspaper, so he may well do far more good than I am aware of, having met him only once (and cordially).
“But this account, from Paul Sheehan, only confirms my doubts:“
Brave is the mother who reveals nothing ,what doubt’s?
Like the Racist missionaries before him Bolt the lizard just slithers and slurs just for the sake slithering and slurring rather than congratulating the success of a community welfare program started in 2008. Oh! under Labour is that your problem Bolt?
The prick has been whingeing for five years about how unfairly he’s been treated. He has access to the media so we know how damaged he is . However he has no empathy for people who have experienced the meaning of unfairness know, the meaning of misrepresentation, live the meaning of struggle and continue to be demeaned by dumb fucks like Bolt . A few fucks and cunts used by men with the right to use them get’s the message across. Good on you Noel! I see Bolt made no attempt at journalism .
Your demand for manners is insulting as it is racist Andrew Bolt in a most underhanded and sleazy way, as is your confirmation of unspecified “doubts” you sanctimonious pillock. Your mate Abbott’s rise to PM is riddled with expletives & abuse you prick.
olddogthoughts 