Latest news with #IndigenousVoice
Daily Mail
14 hours ago
- Business
- Daily Mail
New files reveal how Dan Andrews allocated $6.5million in taxpayer dollars to boost the Voice as support plummeted across the country
Dan Andrews' Labor government invested millions in the Yes campaign at the eleventh hour of the failed Indigenous Voice to Parliament referendum. In September 2023, three weeks before Australians' cast their vote, funds budgeted to support Victoria's pathway to Indigenous Treaty were reassigned. Briefing files, revealed by the Herald Sun on Wednesday, found the state government approved the reallocation of $6.5million to boost the 'Yes' campaign - as part of a movement from governments in all Australian states and territories. In February 2023, each committed to the National Cabinet's Statement of Intent, supporting a national, constitutionally enshrined Voice to Parliament. Former Victorian assistant treasurer Danny Pearson approved the 'reprioritisation' of funds which was signed off by then-minister for treaty and First Peoples of Australia, Gabrielle Williams, on September 25. In the fortnight leading up to the referendum on October 14, support for the Voice plummeted to 34 per cent, reaching its lowest ebb. But the funding was not used and was re-allocated back to the Treaty process. 'The Victorian Government did not spend any money on the Commonwealth Voice referendum,' a state government spokesperson said. In that crucial period, a Newspoll conducted by The Australian found the 'No' vote outnumbered the 'Yes' case in every demographic category. Warren Mundine, who strongly advocated for the No campaign, told the Herald Sun the approval of the funding was a 'disgrace'. 'It was quite definite that the Voice was going to be thrown away,' he said. 'The Victorian government are happy to just leak money.' The First Peoples Assembly of Victoria declined to comment when contacted by Daily Mail Australia. The revelation comes as discussion of The Voice was reinvigorated this year. Foreign Minister Penny Wong claimed in April, during her first podcast interview, that there will one day be a Voice. 'I think we'll look back on it in 10 years' time and it'll be a bit like marriage equality,' Senator Wong told the Betoota Talks podcast. 'I always used to say, marriage equality, which took us such a bloody fight to get that done, and I thought, all this fuss. 'It'll become something, it'll be like, people go "did we even have an argument about that?"' Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has repeatedly dismissed the notion of holding another referendum.
The Guardian
26-05-2025
- Politics
- The Guardian
Morning Mail: Call for disaster ‘volunteer army', car hits Liverpool parade, rock art fears over gas plan
Morning everyone. Our exclusive top story hears from veterans on the frontline of disaster relief calling for federal funding to set up a 10,000 volunteer army to help the recovery from extreme weather events such as last week's NSW floods. Overseas, a car has ploughed into crowds celebrating Liverpool's Premier League win. Plus, the incident between a president and his wife that has all France talking – but Emmanuel Macron says everyone needs to just calm down. High politics | Adelaide's first skyscraper – planned to be 38 storeys and 160m high – will be a 'phallic' construction overshadowing the birthplace of women's suffrage, critics say. Exclusive | A veteran-led organisation on the frontline of disaster recovery wants federal government support to help establish a 10,000-strong volunteer army. Exclusive | Most Australian women are not aware that intrauterine devices are the most effective form of contraception, with experts saying this nationwide 'failure in public education' has contributed to low uptake. Bali accused | An Australian man accused of trying to smuggle drugs into Bali faces 'the death penalty or life in jail' if found guilty, police on the Indonesian tourist island said yesterday after parading him in a prison jumpsuit. Exclusive | One of the architects of the Indigenous voice to parliament, Megan Davis, says Aboriginal Australians increasingly feel the government is not listening to their views on laws and policy design in the wake of the referendum defeat. Liverpool arrest | A man has been detained after a car collided with pedestrians in Liverpool city centre after Liverpool FC's Premier League victory parade. The home secretary, Yvette Cooper, has called the incident 'shocking and horrendous' Follow developments live. Gloves off | Germany will remove range restrictions on weapons delivered to Ukraine – to enable it to defend itself against Russia. It came after Moscow launched its third consecutive night of drone strikes against Ukraine, killing at least six people, and Donald Trump complained that Vladimir Putin has 'gone crazy'. 'Speak out' | A former president of Harvard University has urged people to 'speak out' to defend 'foundational threats' to American values from the Trump administration. In his speech to mark Memorial Day, Trump took credit for the US hosting the 2026 football World Cup (alongside Canada and Mexico) and the 2028 Summer Olympics – and said 'I have everything'. Follow developments live. Gaza strike | An Israeli strike on a school housing displaced people in Gaza killed at least 33 people on Monday, coming after the head of a US-backed private humanitarian organisation distributing aid resigned, saying the operation could not fulfil its mission in a way that adhered to 'humanitarian principles'. Macron moment | Emmanuel Macron has denied he and his wife, Brigitte, had an altercation after a video appeared to show her pushing him in the face as they prepared to get off a plane in Vietnam. Will Labor take its chance to act on climate? Nour Haydar speaks to Adam Morton about why there will never be a better chance for Labor to deliver on climate. Sorry your browser does not support audio - but you can download here and listen $ One of the first big decisions that the new environment minister needs to make is whether Woodside can extend the life of the North West Shelf LNG plant in Western Australia. There are concerns about damage to rock art – a report on the issue downplays the risk but our environment editor Adam Morton says evidence buried deep in the document shows that local pollution is now about four times worse than in the 1960s and 1970s. A new exhibition co-presented by the Art Gallery of South Australia and the Art Gallery of NSW celebrates the work and lives of 50 pioneering Australian women who from the late 19th century 'traded the antipodes for Bohemian melting pots in Bloomsbury and Chelsea, or Paris's left bank' to develop their art. Walter Marsh finds out more. Sign up to Morning Mail Our Australian morning briefing breaks down the key stories of the day, telling you what's happening and why it matters after newsletter promotion Rugby league | New South Wales appear to be favourites going into Game One of this year's State of Origin series in Brisbane tomorrow night. Tennis | There were major upsets for two of the top American seeds at the French Open overnight, as Taylor Fritz and Emma Navarro crashed out in the first round. Women's football | Arsenal's three Matildas were among the players celebrating with fans as they paraded the Women's Champions League in north London. The Sydney Morning Herald claims the Minns government is under pressure to step in and buy back the Northern Beaches hospital after Healthscope went bust, while the Mercury says there are also concerns in Tasmania about the future of Hobart Private. The Telegraph enjoys what it calls the 'Origin spy drama' and says the Blues are using drones to find out who filmed their training session. A huge dust storm blanketed parts of Victoria and NSW as it travelled east from South Australia, the Age reports. Gold Coast | Forum on overcoming Indigenous family violence. Health | ABS releases data on serum levels of Pfas for under-12s. Sydney | First case management conference for Bob Brown Foundation legal action against federal environment law changes. If you would like to receive this Morning Mail update to your email inbox every weekday, sign up here, or finish your day with our Afternoon Update newsletter. You can follow the latest in US politics by signing up for This Week in Trumpland. And finally, here are the Guardian's crosswords to keep you entertained throughout the day. Until tomorrow. Quick crossword Cryptic crossword
The Guardian
26-05-2025
- Politics
- The Guardian
Aboriginal people feel Labor isn't listening to them after voice defeat, Uluru statement co-author says
One of the architects of the Indigenous voice to parliament says Aboriginal Australians increasingly feel the government isn't listening to their views on laws and policy design, warning against closed-shop public consultations in the wake of the referendum defeat. Megan Davis, a constitutional scholar and signatory to the Uluru statement from the heart, said the re-elected Albanese government was facing growing displays of discontent and needed a new approach to improve the lives of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. Davis said Indigenous policy frameworks were failing and engagement with government was subject to growing 'exclusivity'. 'They consult only those who have contracts with them, or are enlisted in the Closing the Gap 'partnership', so to speak,' she told Guardian Australia. 'Good public policy cannot be served by limiting your consultation to a hermetically sealed segment of a community. 'As a consequence, many Aboriginal people are now saying that the no vote has been interpreted as bureaucrats and government no longer needing to listen to community voices on laws and policies.' Sign up for Guardian Australia's breaking news email The comments come at the start of National Reconciliation Week, and on the eighth anniversary of the release of Uluru statement, the 2017 request from Indigenous leaders built around the concepts of voice, treaty and truth. Running until 3 June, Reconciliation Week follows heated debate about Indigenous welcome to country ceremonies during the election campaign. After Labor's 2022 victory, Anthony Albanese committed to implementing the Uluru statement in full but promised a different approach after the October 2023 referendum was soundly defeated by voters. Last year the prime minister said Labor would deliver the first comprehensive economic policy for Indigenous Australians, part of efforts to close the disadvantage gap. He used a speech at the Garma festival to pledge improved avenues for private-sector investment and to lift home ownership in Indigenous communities, as well as helping companies and job creators to directly reach Indigenous people. Speaking from Harvard University, where she is a visiting professor, Davis said Albanese's vision of 'progressive patriotism' and Australian design models was at odds with the agenda of Indigenous reconciliation, which was first conceived overseas. She said Australia's brand of reconciliation was too limited to private actors and private action. 'That of course has its place and like many mob I have served my time on reconciliation action plans, but it doesn't ask anything of the state that is structural,' she said. 'It's the structural [change] – the public structures of the state – that incontrovertibly lead to change.' Sign up to Breaking News Australia Get the most important news as it breaks after newsletter promotion The federal government declined to respond to the comments on Sunday. Despite the voice defeat, Davis said Uluru advocates wanted to meet non-Indigenous Australians, 'and yarn about the things we have in common and the things that we don't and the things we can agree on and the things we disagree on'. 'After all, the word parliament comes from 'parle', the French word for speak,' she said. 'That's what the voice is about and that's what we are doing now is speaking, speaking to yes and no about the referendum and yarning about our shared future.' Albanese's post-election reshuffle included the Northern Territory senator Malarndirri McCarthy as minister for Indigenous Australians and Marion Scrymgour, the MP for Lingiari, as the government's special envoy for remote communities. This month Scrymgour said she would speak to Albanese about progressing the remaining elements of the Uluru statement, to help the country heal and move forward. The Cape York leader Noel Pearson told the Australian newspaper after the election that Albanese had run away from Indigenous policy, likening his moves to a Houdini-like disappearance. Davis said Indigenous people deserved to be consulted on the decisions which affected their lives, 'because we know our communities better than you and the laws and policies will be of a better quality'.
Daily Mail
10-05-2025
- Politics
- Daily Mail
Noel Pearson reveals why Peter Dutton lost the election and accuses Anthony Albanese of abandoning Indigenous Australians after Voice defeat: 'Houdini would have been impressed'
Indigenous leader Noel Pearson has slammed both Anthony Albanese and Peter Dutton over their handling of the Indigenous Voice to Parliament referendum. Pearson broke his silence this week following Mr Albanese's landslide victory and said Mr Dutton had learned early on that the Voice was 'a dog worth kicking. and attacking it brought him short term popularity. He accused the outgoing Opposition leader of attacking the Voice to gain short-term popularity but that his 'hard-a** persona' had ultimately made him unelectable. He said Mr Albanese, on the other hand, had pulled off a remarkable election victory thanks to the speed at which he had distanced himself from the Voice. 'Albanese's great achievement in this election was the dexterity with which he extricated himself from its liability, and recovered his prime ministership and electoral supremacy,' Mr Pearson wrote for The Australian. 'Houdini would have been impressed.' He said the period between the referendum in October 2023 and the election this month was 'the most forlorn in the history of Indigenous affairs' with a drought of any policy or progress on closing the gap. He claimed the government had become 'paranoid' that anything to do with Indigenous policy - 'even subjects far removed from the Voice' - would sink it. 'Albanese and Labor had to run away fast from their association with the Voice and black fellas ... without it ... last Saturday's result for Labor would not have been possible,' Mr Pearson wrote. Along with the prime minister and former Opposition leader, Mr Pearson was scathing in his opinion of Senator Jacinta Nampijinpa Price. He said Dutton and the Liberals had been told by political advisory firm CT Group that taking the centre and supporting the Voice would be beneficial to their campaign. Dutton had even early on given the Indigenous Affairs portfolio to Voice advocate Julian Lesser. But the Nationals opposed it and Senator Price came out swinging. He said the initial success of her stance 'took the decision out of Mr Dutton's hands'. But he called her a 'one-trick pony' that had 'served her purpose' of turning the Voice debate on its head by 'taking up the mantle against her own people'. Senator Price has now defected to the Liberals as a leadership battle in Dutton's absence threatens to blow apart the Coalition. She is expected to run as Angus Taylor's deputy. Senior Nationals have accused the Northern Territory senator of being disloyal and putting her ambitions above the party. Nationals senator Bridget McKenzie directed her anger at the Liberals, accusing them of actively recruiting Senator Price. 'That is not the behaviour of trusted partners,' she told Sky News. While former prime minister Tony Abbott supported the move, some in the Liberals are concerned Senator Price could drag the party even further to the right.
The Spinoff
05-05-2025
- Politics
- The Spinoff
Does Dutton's downfall offer a warning to NZ's right?
Australia's election result shows the limits of culture-war campaigning and the power of the political centre – with lessons for both National and Labour, writes Catherine McGregor in today's extract from The Bulletin. To receive The Bulletin in full each weekday, sign up here. The Trump effect – and its limits If New Zealand's right-wing parties are tempted to borrow too heavily from the Trump playbook, the result of Australia's election this weekend offers a cautionary tale. Prime minister Anthony Albanese swept back into power after Coalition leader Peter Dutton's campaign, which leaned into anti-woke rhetoric and admiration for Trump, backfired dramatically. The effect wasn't limited to Australia. In Canada's election a fortnight ago, a similar MAGA-friendly strategy cost the Conservatives' Pierre Poilievre a lead he'd held for months. These failures suggest that closely aligning with Trump-style politics may energise a noisy minority, but alienates the broader electorate. Speaking to Newstalk ZB's Francesca Rudkin, former National minister Steven Joyce said that in both elections, 'the middle has asserted itself and said, right, this is broadly what we want, and this is the crowd we think are going to be best suiting us at this time'. The centre holds A clear centre-focused strategy proved to be a winning formula for Anthony Albanese. His campaign pivoted away from ideological issues like the Indigenous Voice referendum and instead foregrounded mainstream concerns like public health, tax cuts and the cost of living. The result was a historic landslide. For some politics-watchers back home, the Australian result is evidence that electoral success lies in persuading swing voters, not in rallying the far ends of the base. It showed that 'the centre's absolutely up for grabs,' Labour leader Chris Hipkins told Politik's Richard Harman on Sunday (paywalled). 'The austerity politics that Nicola Willis is promoting, the fact that Christopher Luxon's indulging David Seymour and Act in their populist divisive politics – I think people look at the government and say we're not sure that this is what we voted for.' For Luke Malpass in The Post (paywalled), the lesson for Labour is a bit different: 'The only way to get re-elected is focusing on what actually matters to people; not what you think should matter to them.' Structural differences, but shared lessons Political scientist Jennifer Curtin, writing in The Post, says left-leaning parties' hopes of making it a Canada-Australia-NZ hat-trick 'may be premature', given the key role played by Australia's unique electoral system in Labor's win. Provisional results show Labor won around 34% of the primary vote, compared to 31% for the Coalition parties, Curtin writes. 'Smaller parties and independents also won a third of the primary vote, but their preferences [ie the parties they put in 2nd or 3rd place] appear to have benefited Labor.' Another difference: Australians are experiencing the effects of the Trump tornado more acutely than New Zealanders, according to Harman, who says the 'impact of the post-tariff slump in the share market has been much more universally felt' there due to the ubiquity of superannuation share portfolios. But the broader lesson holds. 'There would seem to be no market for Trumpism or any other extremism down under,' Harman writes. Amid global instability and American-made economic headwinds, voters appear to be favouring competence over confrontation. Tariff clouds gather for NZ's screen industry Meanwhile, Trump's declaration of a 100% tariff on all films 'produced in foreign lands' on Monday has sent shockwaves through New Zealand's $3.5 billion screen industry, which relies heavily on American productions. When asked about it, the PM struck a cautious note, saying it was 'way too soon' to speculate on policy changes. Speaking to The Spinoff's Alex Casey, screen veteran John Barnett was blunter: 'Not unlike everything else Trump has done, it is totally lacking in logic.' Still, the potential fallout is serious. As Barnett points out, 'Right now US productions are the biggest source of continual [screen] production in New Zealand,' with local jobs, post-production houses and regional economies all at stake. For now, the industry can only hold tight and hope Trump changes his mind, Barnett says. 'If there's one thing we've learned in the first 100 days, it's that what he says today isn't necessarily what he'll say tomorrow.'
