{"id":5301,"date":"2023-01-11T08:14:02","date_gmt":"2023-01-10T22:14:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sams-blog.com\/?p=5301"},"modified":"2023-05-27T10:57:03","modified_gmt":"2023-05-27T00:57:03","slug":"voice-questions-dutton-is-either-lying-or-else-he-cannot-read","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sams-blog.com\/?p=5301","title":{"rendered":"Voice questions: Dutton is either lying or else he cannot read"},"content":{"rendered":"

Australian Opposition leader Peter Dutton is either lying or else is unable to read. Those are the only two reasons why he has been asking questions<\/a><\/strong> about the detail of the Voice.<\/p>\n

It took me just half-an-hour this morning to answer all his questions. I had to refer to just one website<\/a><\/strong>.<\/p>\n

As Senator Patrick Dodson has said, the Australian people are being asked to vote \u201con principle, not on detail\u201d.<\/p>\n

Australians are not being asked to vote on a specific Voice model.<\/p>\n

1. Who will be eligible to serve on the body?<\/strong><\/p>\n

The Voice will be determined by parliament with the input of the community and the Voice itself, and will evolve and change over time.<\/p>\n

2. What are the prerequisites for nomination?<\/strong><\/p>\n

The Voice must have a structure that represents and reflects local communities in their diversity, giving those a voice who haven\u2019t had a voice in the past.<\/p>\n

3. Will the Government clarify the definition of Aboriginality to determine who can serve on the body?<\/strong><\/p>\n

The Voice must have cultural legitimacy, in that it must be selected by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples themselves in accordance with their own local practices, protocols and expectations.<\/p>\n

4. How will members be elected, chosen or appointed?<\/strong><\/p>\n

The Voice is to be established to represent Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples politically, and while it may draw on the expertise of pre-existing organisations such as community groups and peak bodies, it performs a distinct function to them.<\/p>\n

5. How many people will make up the body?<\/strong><\/p>\n

To be determined by Parliament after the Voice is adopted.<\/p>\n

6. How much will it cost taxpayers annually?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Depends on the structure which will be determined by Parliament.<\/p>\n

7. What are its functions and powers?<\/strong><\/p>\n

The intention of the Voice is to further the self-determination of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples within the Australian state, by giving them greater voice and control in matters that affect them.<\/p>\n

8. Is it purely advisory or will it have decision-making capabilities?<\/strong><\/p>\n

The National Voice would advise on matters of national significance to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples relating to their social, spiritual and economic wellbeing.<\/p>\n

9. Who will oversee the body and ensure it is accountable?<\/strong><\/p>\n

A body will be set up after the structure of the Voice is determined. It will be accountable to Parliament.<\/p>\n

10. If needed, can the body be dissolved and reconstituted in extraordinary circumstances?<\/strong><\/p>\n

The Voice should be designed in a way that it can achieve its functions, in particular that it is: provided with stability and certainty, without the risk hanging over it of future abolition; designed so as to be structurally independent of government; and adequately funded and resourced.<\/p>\n

11. How will the Government ensure that the body includes those who still need to get a platform in Australian public life?<\/strong><\/p>\n

These details will be worked out once the Voice is constituted.<\/p>\n

12. How will it interact with the Closing of the Gap process?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Details to be worked out after the Voice is constituted.<\/p>\n

13. Will the Government rule out using the Voice to negotiate any national treaty?<\/strong><\/p>\n

The structure and mechanics will be determined by Parliament after the Voice is enshrined in the Constitution.<\/p>\n

14. Will the Government commit to Local and Regional Voices, as recommended in the report on the co-design process led by Tom Calma and Marcia Langton?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Depends on the advice from Parliament after the Voice is enshrined in the Constitution.<\/p>\n

15. If not, how will it effectively address the real issues that impact people’s lives daily on the ground in the community?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Once again, this is putting the cart before the horse.<\/p>\n

A draft of a possible addition to the Constitution:<\/p>\n

There shall be a body, to be called the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice.<\/p>\n

The Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice may make representations to Parliament and the Executive Government on matters relating to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples.<\/p>\n

The Parliament shall, subject to this Constitution, have power to make laws with respect to the composition, functions, powers and procedures of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice.<\/p>\n

What more does one need to understand what the Voice is all about? Unless, of course, one is trying to kill the idea of a successful referendum?<\/p>\n


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