CANBERRA( AAP and ABC News) By Dr. Majid Khan-In Australia with the referendum just months away, both campaigns for indigenous votes in parliament are in full swing.
Both yes and no campaigns are set, but they pursue very different strategies towards the referendum.
The Yes Campaign launched in Adelaide last month, bringing together a number of groups under the Aboriginal umbrella of Australia to seek constitutional recognition of Aboriginal peoples.
The No Campaign is being run by several groups with differing views on why they oppose Indigenous voices in Congress, but none have yet been formally launched.
Each group has something in common with their campaigns, with specific differences as to why they don’t want the voices of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples in the Constitution. Who are the most important no-groups?
The main players in the formal campaign are Recognize a Better Way and Fair Australia, but there is also a section of communities running the campaign from a ‘progressive no’ perspective.
Recognize a Better Way is led by former politician and consultant Warren Mundine.
According to Recognize’s opinion, Recognize opposes the Voice because it wants to establish it in an Act of Parliament, not in the Constitution.
The policy paper also states that it supports constitutional recognition of Aboriginal Australians, but in the form of a preamble rather than a new chapter of the Constitution. The first official event of “Recognize a Better Way” will be held in Tamworth on Friday, featuring One Nation Senator Pauline Hanson, former Nationals leader Barnaby Joyce, former Labor Secretary Gary Johns, and Broadcaster. Alan Jones from the station will be on board.
Former Deputy Prime Minister and Nationals leader John Anderson is also a senior member of this group.
Another high-profile group running a no campaign is Fair Australia, a subsidiary of the conservative political lobby group Advance Australia, backed by Country Liberal Senators from the Northern Territory Jasintanampingzinpa Price. .
Senator Namping Jinpa Price was originally a member of the Recognition Committee but left the group to work for Fair Australia.
Fair Australia has released 10 reasons not to support the Voice proposal. These include constitutional changes, linking constitutional recognition to advisory bodies, and concerns about the cost of referendums. A delegation of indigenous peoples from across the country, along with Senator Nampingjinpa Price, visited the Houses of Parliament in Canberra to present their views and persuade politicians to join the no-campaign.
Both Recognize a Better Way and Fair Australia, by knowledgeable fact-checkers, creators of the Uluru Declaration, and governments vote to create a ‘shadow government’ or another Indigenous nation.
How about “progressive no”?
Another position on the no side of the campaign is called “progressive no”. It is a term coined by independent Victorian Senator Lydia Thorpe.
Senator Thorpe has yet to finalize her position on the referendum, but she split from the Green Party and now represents the black sovereignty movement in Congress, following the party’s decision to support the Voice’s proposal. I’m here. Progressive no proponents have not held formal events, but activists such as Michael Mansell and Murrigel Koe have well-documented positions in their voices, as well as Maori in New Zealand. has sought another form of recognition, such as a seat in the Senate reserved for Indigenous members.
