By Christine Grayden
WHY does our society love division so much? Competition? Adversariness? Unhelpful criticism? Intolerance of mistakes?
I ponder these questions often, now that I am not involved directly within these societal norms, and can view our society almost as an outsider, an alien dropped from space into a strange world where rage seems to be an ever-present feature.
From this viewpoint I cast a jaundiced eye over the ‘debate’ around an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice to Parliament. I see the shuffling of allegiances, the so-called commentary and analysis in the ‘white press’, the ingratiating and/or grandstanding of supposedly key figures in Australian politics and economics. And the twisting of arguments, the semantics games.
WHY does our society love division so much? Competition? Adversariness? Unhelpful criticism? Intolerance of mistakes?
I ponder these questions often, now that I am not involved directly within these societal norms, and can view our society almost as an outsider, an alien dropped from space into a strange world where rage seems to be an ever-present feature.
From this viewpoint I cast a jaundiced eye over the ‘debate’ around an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice to Parliament. I see the shuffling of allegiances, the so-called commentary and analysis in the ‘white press’, the ingratiating and/or grandstanding of supposedly key figures in Australian politics and economics. And the twisting of arguments, the semantics games.
This morning (Tuesday 5th September 2023) I watched a recording of our Federal Parliamentary representative Russell Broadbent speaking in federal parliament about his change of heart – after five years of support for some sort of Voice to parliament – and that he will no longer be supporting the Yes vote. His reasons were that he was sat down and given a talking to by a local Aboriginal Elder against the Yes vote, and that he needs to listen to the local Aboriginal people in his community (no mention of Torres Strait Islander people) and that we can’t keep repeating the same mistakes. That we need to listen to Aboriginal people on the Murray-Darling basin, and on fire management in native bush and other things “that we’ve made mistakes on in this country”.
While everyone has a right to change their mind with good reason, as an historian with a background in sociology and literary criticism, I always look at both content and context around that decision. Two of the Recognised Aboriginal Parties in and adjacent to Monash electorate support the Yes vote for the Voice, although the Bunurong Aboriginal Land Council Aboriginal Corporation they said they ‘do not comment on that’. However, their Facebook page banner consists of repeats of the phrase “Use Your Voice”, so they are clearly encouraging their community to vote one way or the other.
Given how much blatant or covert vitriol is directed against First Australians in their everyday lives it is hardly surprising that few are out in the general community asking us all to vote Yes. The pressure on them at this time must be unbearable. And given how much rage is generally out there in society, which we have all experienced or witnessed in some way, we can surely relate at least partly.
If we look at Broadbent’s examples of mistakes-we-cannot-keep-repeating, the two he cites may not really raise any objections. But what about the mistakes he does not cite? Let’s start with two hundred and thirty years of extractive industries, with Aboriginal landscapes left cratered with abandoned mines after the extracted minerals have irretrievably gone offshore and the profits largely pocketed by others. What about the continued and willful destruction of sacred sites, archaeological sites, art sites, cultural sites? The Burrup Hub in Western Australia is a prime example, where the extraordinary and extensive Murujuga rock art is being actively eroded by the toxic gas being emitted from the gas hub. And yet there is an application in to the WA government for massive expansion of the hub, and increased gas extraction – even though we know it is a major contributor to climate change and health issues, as well as corrosive to the incredible rock art works.
We have examples right here in Bass Coast. Quion Hill was once the highest hill on Millowl Phillip Island, and is surrounded on three sides by coastal and lakeside midden sites. Surely that hill had a great deal of cultural significance to the Yallock Bullock. Now it is a small prominence; sides covered with overburden heaps from basalt quarrying. And in Bass we have the sand mining of forests with species which pre-date the colonial era. Since grass trees are highly significant to Bunurong people, we can only imagine the pain they are suffering seeing the destruction being wrought on the hundreds-of-years-old grass trees there.
Of course, you don’t need to be Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander to be impacted on a material level by extractive industries. The many ‘Lock the gate’ signs on farmers’ gates around the country are testimony to the alarm many feel at the legislated power of extractive industries to barge in and take over land.
While those instances may be considered state rather than federal parliamentary matters, they are just a few examples of the sort of myriad mistakes we keep making because Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people are currently without any direct input into any parliamentary processes on this continent unless they are actually elected to parliament. At least the inclusion of a few simple clauses in the Australian Constitution giving them such input will ensure that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people will be guaranteed that input, regardless of the vagaries of the political climate, or the vacillations of opinion of the federal parliamentary representatives.
With a federal election on the horizon it is not surprising that parliamentarians are looking to tow the party line in order to enhance their pre-selection chances. That context may well see more instances similar to Broadbent’s ‘change of heart’ in the next few weeks.
I do not doubt that there are many Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people for whom engaging with the Australian federal parliament is justifiably anathema. But there are also many who see this as a chance at finally being absolutely visible and undeniable to that parliament. Not ideal. But a real chance.
And isn’t it extremely arrogant of the rest of us who have been here for a blip of time to deny that parliamentary Voice to people with tens of thousands of years of ancestry here? Yes, I will be voting Yes. And since Broadbent threw in a line that “we all get one vote, whether we be parliamentarian or a dairy farmer….” – who knows? He may even quietly vote Yes too.
While everyone has a right to change their mind with good reason, as an historian with a background in sociology and literary criticism, I always look at both content and context around that decision. Two of the Recognised Aboriginal Parties in and adjacent to Monash electorate support the Yes vote for the Voice, although the Bunurong Aboriginal Land Council Aboriginal Corporation they said they ‘do not comment on that’. However, their Facebook page banner consists of repeats of the phrase “Use Your Voice”, so they are clearly encouraging their community to vote one way or the other.
Given how much blatant or covert vitriol is directed against First Australians in their everyday lives it is hardly surprising that few are out in the general community asking us all to vote Yes. The pressure on them at this time must be unbearable. And given how much rage is generally out there in society, which we have all experienced or witnessed in some way, we can surely relate at least partly.
If we look at Broadbent’s examples of mistakes-we-cannot-keep-repeating, the two he cites may not really raise any objections. But what about the mistakes he does not cite? Let’s start with two hundred and thirty years of extractive industries, with Aboriginal landscapes left cratered with abandoned mines after the extracted minerals have irretrievably gone offshore and the profits largely pocketed by others. What about the continued and willful destruction of sacred sites, archaeological sites, art sites, cultural sites? The Burrup Hub in Western Australia is a prime example, where the extraordinary and extensive Murujuga rock art is being actively eroded by the toxic gas being emitted from the gas hub. And yet there is an application in to the WA government for massive expansion of the hub, and increased gas extraction – even though we know it is a major contributor to climate change and health issues, as well as corrosive to the incredible rock art works.
We have examples right here in Bass Coast. Quion Hill was once the highest hill on Millowl Phillip Island, and is surrounded on three sides by coastal and lakeside midden sites. Surely that hill had a great deal of cultural significance to the Yallock Bullock. Now it is a small prominence; sides covered with overburden heaps from basalt quarrying. And in Bass we have the sand mining of forests with species which pre-date the colonial era. Since grass trees are highly significant to Bunurong people, we can only imagine the pain they are suffering seeing the destruction being wrought on the hundreds-of-years-old grass trees there.
Of course, you don’t need to be Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander to be impacted on a material level by extractive industries. The many ‘Lock the gate’ signs on farmers’ gates around the country are testimony to the alarm many feel at the legislated power of extractive industries to barge in and take over land.
While those instances may be considered state rather than federal parliamentary matters, they are just a few examples of the sort of myriad mistakes we keep making because Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people are currently without any direct input into any parliamentary processes on this continent unless they are actually elected to parliament. At least the inclusion of a few simple clauses in the Australian Constitution giving them such input will ensure that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people will be guaranteed that input, regardless of the vagaries of the political climate, or the vacillations of opinion of the federal parliamentary representatives.
With a federal election on the horizon it is not surprising that parliamentarians are looking to tow the party line in order to enhance their pre-selection chances. That context may well see more instances similar to Broadbent’s ‘change of heart’ in the next few weeks.
I do not doubt that there are many Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people for whom engaging with the Australian federal parliament is justifiably anathema. But there are also many who see this as a chance at finally being absolutely visible and undeniable to that parliament. Not ideal. But a real chance.
And isn’t it extremely arrogant of the rest of us who have been here for a blip of time to deny that parliamentary Voice to people with tens of thousands of years of ancestry here? Yes, I will be voting Yes. And since Broadbent threw in a line that “we all get one vote, whether we be parliamentarian or a dairy farmer….” – who knows? He may even quietly vote Yes too.