Latest news with #KenWyatt
ABC News
07-05-2025
- Politics
- ABC News
VIDEO: Indigenous leaders say culture wars backfired on Liberals
The ABC's Indigenous Affairs team has spoken with a number of First Nations leaders, including former minister Ken Wyatt, about the election result
ABC News
06-05-2025
- Politics
- ABC News
'All the wrong lessons' from Voice referendum 'backfired' on Coalition, analysts say
Former minister for Indigenous Australians Ken Wyatt has blamed Peter Dutton's "doubling down on culture wars", specifically in Indigenous affairs, as a significant contributor to what LNP insiders have called a "catastrophic" election loss. "To be divisive on a cultural and socio-economic group that lives with disadvantage is not the way in which you lead a country," the former Liberal National Party MP told the ABC's Indigenous Affairs Team. "It is about statesman-like leadership; it is about looking at what is good for all within our nation. "Doubling down on cultural wars, including ethnic minorities in Australia, in respect to particular issues in capital cities, is not the way you bring people forward," he said, adding the party failed to show it was "relevant" to women and young people. After a Neo-Nazi heckled an ANZAC Day Welcome to Country, Mr Wyatt said some of the electorate "would have been offended" by Mr Dutton's critiques of Welcome to Countries and his vow not to stand in front of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander flags at official press briefings. "I previously said that of the 60 per cent of Australians who voted no in the referendum because of the way it was managed, do not abandon their support for Indigenous reform and change," the Noongar, Yamatji and Wongi man said. Ken Wyatt said the result of the election showed "a rejection of the divisiveness" of the campaign. ( ABC: Keane Bourke ) Career pathways, economic stability and home ownership would have been a better strategy in reaching these voters, in Mr Wyatt's view, than "this symbolic, divisive behaviour [and] the Trumpian approach in some of the rhetoric". Although Mr Dutton has apologised for boycotting the 2008 National Apology to the Stolen Generations — saying he failed to grasp its "If I take just the simple notion of walking out of the apology, then that is a reflection of a position you hold," he said. "However, what you would expect of any leader is for them to learn from that and to go back to a fundamental, basic approach of leading this country for all [and] not to be divisive." Mr Wyatt also had concerns about Senator Jacinta Nampijinpa Price's leadership. "I have a view about the way in which the portfolio should be handled. I wouldn't handle it the way that Jacinta did," he said. "So what I'm pleased about is that Malarndirri McCarthy is the minister … "So there is relief because there was certainly concern about Jacinta becoming minister for Indigenous Australians, some of her commentary have frightened and dismayed a lot of people." Coalition 'misread' Voice result, says pollster Pollster Kos Samaras agrees the Coalition "completely misread" the 2023 vote against the Voice. "They took all the wrong lessons from the referendum and basically inserted their own biases in thinking that Australians have very strong views on the issues of Indigenous rights that are in line with their views," said the Redbridge director. "They were absolutely incorrect … they obviously thought that the outer suburbs voting no meant that the outer suburbs were animated by this issue, when in reality, they voted no because it wasn't a top-order issue for them." Redbridge pollster Kos Samaras says young voters swung hard towards the government on polling day. It is the reason, in Mr Samaras's view, why Liberal leadership embarked on culture war politics that "backfired" for the party and "contributed" to its election loss. Spending significant time and resources on campaigning against the Voice also hurt the Coalition among gen Z voters, who split two in three towards Labor on preferences, according to the former Victorian Labor strategist. Liberal member Warren Mundine says a "weak campaign" cost the party in the 2025 election. ( ABC: Chris Taylor ) Calling the Liberals' campaign "clumsy", Nyunggai Warren Mundine — who campaigned against the Voice — said he was surprised the party did not do enough early on to capture Labor voters who were opposed to the Voice. "Everyday Australians, it is about hip pocket," the Liberal member said, adding that "non-issues" Welcome to Countries and flags were currently not important to Australians. "It weakened their [cost of living] message." Mr Mundine wanted to see crime highlighted in the campaign, as well as Closing the Gap issues like education and jobs. "One of the sad things about this election was, it's probably the first time that I've seen a federal election in decades where Aboriginal affairs was not front-and-centre," he said. Mr Mundine, who missed out on Liberal preselection in the Bradfield electorate earlier this year, added there were "huge problems" within the Coalition and said it must sort out the "factional fighting" and do a lot of "soul-searching". Labor also 'miscalculated' electorate's Voice vote: Mayo Prominent Yes campaigner Thomas Mayo says Labor "needs to get serious about policy" for Indigenous people. ( ABC News: Billy Cooper ) Thomas Mayo, Yes campaigner and signatory to the Uluru Statement, said "the Coalition put a lot of energy and effort into punching down" on First Nations Australians during the campaign, reflecting "a continuing nastiness" since the referendum. "They are the party that attacks minorities to try and win some votes, and it didn't work for them this time," the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander author said. Mr Mayo also accused the prime minister of "walking away" from his 2022 election night commitment to implement the Uluru Statement — including Treaty and Truth-telling — in full. "He [Mr Dutton] has created a very strong mandate for Labor now that the rejection of the Voice was not a rejection of progress in Indigenous Affairs," he said. "Labor made a calculation to avoid that to get re-elected … I don't think it was the right calculation." Senator Kerrynne Liddle says, "this is a time for reflection and review" for the Liberal Party. ( ABC: Justin Hewitson ) Liberal senator Kerrynne Liddle said it will take time to work out what happened on the weekend, saying they will be using this time for "reflection and review". The Arrernte woman dismissed the idea the vote was a rejection by a large part of the electorate of so-called culture war issues. "I think most of the Australian public would think that it was pretty silly to suggest that it is a single issue that has resulted in the outcome that we've seen." She said "there is a place for acknowledgements, but it's not every single day, in meetings, within workplaces". "There is doing the hard work that makes a difference to the lives of those people that need it. That's what I will remain focused on, not putting a prize-winning bunch of words together that make people feel good about it." The shadow minister, whose portfolio includes child protection, family violence and Indigenous health, remains committed to an audit of Indigenous affairs spending and said the opposition would continue to hold Labor to "account" on these issues. 'Labor pretend to be our friends': Thorpe Reflecting on the results of the weekend, independent senator Lidia Thorpe said she was "not too impressed" with the outcome. "We got rid of an overt racist political party, and we've got a covert one," the Gunnai, Gunditjmara and Djab Wurrung woman said. "I'm disappointed that we didn't get more independents in and more minor parties with seats that could hold Labor accountable for their hollow words on justice for our people." Senator Lidia Thorpe is disappointed more independents didn't get elected into the 2025 parliament. ( ABC: Patrick Stone ) But now Labor has been voted in for a second term, Senator Thorpe — who has long called for Treaty and Truth-telling — said it now had the power to "make a real difference". "[Under Labor] we see the rise in stolen children, the rise in kids in out-of-home care, we're seeing the rise of incarceration of our people [and] the rise of Black women incarcerated," she said. "Labor pretend to be our friends, but they stab us all in the back every day, and I am sick of begging the Labor Party to give us the justice that we deserve." The ABC requested an interview with Minister for Indigenous Affairs Malarndirri McCarthy and Shadow Minister Jacinta Nampijinpa Price.
Epoch Times
29-04-2025
- Politics
- Epoch Times
What Is ‘Welcome to Country' and Why Are Some Australians Pushing Back?
News Analysis What was already a contentious issue bubbled to the surface following Melbourne's Anzac Day dawn service ceremony last weekend. A group of men attending the event booed and shouted during an Indigenous 'Welcome to Country' by Bunurong elder Mark Brown, which sparked condemnation. However, days later, sceptics of the Welcome to Country also began to make their voices heard, especially as the ceremonial procedure becomes more pervasive in Australian public life. What is the Welcome to Country? Started in the 1970s, the Welcome to Country and Acknowledgement of Country are ceremonies performed by Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander elders at public events. It has become a topic of debate with those in favour saying it's a mark of respect for tradition and culture, while those against say it has lost its relevance and meaning through overuse. 'Welcome to Country is delivered by traditional owners, or Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples who have been given permission from traditional owners, to welcome visitors to their country,' Reconciliation Australia says. Related Stories 4/27/2025 4/24/2025 Many supporters of the Welcome, such as former MP Ken Wyatt, have emphasised the cultural meaning of the ceremony over the political, but there are proponents who say it has a place in activism. Jacob Hersant (Left) speaks to a TV journalist during the Dawn Service at the Shrine of Remembrance in Melbourne, Australia on April 25, Support Delivering her own Welcome to Country at a Labor rally in Sydney the day after Anzac Day, former Labor MP and Indigenous minister, Linda Burney, made one point clear: that a Welcome to Country wasn't just a courtesy, it was about a 'continuing struggle for equality and a long history of dispossession.' 'Understanding our history and geography is an intrinsic part of the telling of the story and finding the truth,' Burney said. Retiring Minister for Indigenous Australian Linda Burney makes a statement at Parliament House in Canberra, Australia, on Feb. 13, comments were applauded by party faithful at the rally, including Foreign Minister Penny Wong. On April 29, Labor Finance Minister Katy Gallagher told ABC News Breakfast that her party would not change their level of support for the ceremonies, which can often cost thousands. 'The government has a position that this is a measure of respect to support Welcome to Country,' she said. 'I think the issue that Peter Dutton has raised in the last couple of days is to distract away from the train wreck of a campaign they're having.' During the final leaders' debate at the weekend, Opposition Leader Peter Dutton said Welcome to Country ceremonies were becoming overdone, while both Dutton and Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said it was up to organisations to decide if they wanted to include them. Wyatt Denies Ceremonies are Political Former Liberal Party minister and Indigenous Australian Ken Wyatt told ABC Radio he didn't know 'what the contentious issue' was with Welcome to Country ceremonies. He doesn't believe they are political. 'I don't know what the contentious issue is, and whether people, as individuals, have perception that it's political as opposed to welcoming,' he said. Ken Wyatt is sworn in as Minister for Indigenous Australians by Australia's Governor-General Sir Peter Cosgrove during the swearing-in ceremony at Government House on May 29, 2019 in Canberra, Australia.'That becomes the matter that they raise with politicians, who then don't go back and do their own work in terms of finding out what does Welcome to Country really mean, and distinguishing it from Acknowledgement to Country.' Wyatt likened calls for the Welcome to be scrapped to calling for Anzac Day to be cancelled. 'I'm disappointed with anybody who doesn't take the time to understand the importance of friendship, welcoming and acknowledging that you are part of the community and you're being welcomed into somebody's home country, home region, and to politicise it just adds to the division,' he said. 'I think when you start to politicise elements of Aboriginal affairs or cultural practices, then you start a process of allowing division to occur.' Australians Being Divided by Race: One Nation One Nation Leader Pauline Hanson says it's the ceremonies themselves that are dividing Australians, as well as Labor's $400 million (US$257 million) failed push for a constitutional change to include an Indigenous 'Voice' to Parliament. 'It was deeply disrespectful to force these ceremonies onto Anzac Day, a sacred day to honour those who fought and died for Australia,' she wrote on X. 'But this isn't just about one day. Australians are tired of being divided by race at every event, every gathering, every opportunity. One Nation leader, Senator Pauline Hanson is seen during a press conference in Brisbane, Australia, on April 13, 2022. AAP Image/Darren England 'The overwhelming rejection of Anthony Albanese's Voice referendum sent a clear message: Australians reject race-based division. Welcome to Country ceremonies are just more of the same, divisive politics that drive Australians apart, not bring us together.' Hanson was one of the first Australian politicians to speak out against the ceremonies, believing they make Australians feel like outsiders in their own country. 'On Anzac Day, things boiled over. Instead of listening to the many decent Australians who are simply trying to be heard, the media and politicians are smearing everyone who spoke up as extremists, which simply is not true,' she said. Libertarian and Cumberland Councillor Steve Christou said the Anzac Day interruptions were not the start of the debate, but the last straw for a frustrated population. 'People are sick to death of having Welcome to Country ceremonies thrust upon them and shoved down their throat,' he said. Christou said the ceremonies made Australians feel like 'second class citizens', and urged leaders to instead focus on practical measures like housing and cost of living. A Time and Place While normally an issue tackled by minor right-leaning parties, the Coalition has in recent years begun criticising the ubiquity of the ceremony. Shadow Home Affairs spokesman James Paterson told the ABC there was a genuine place for Welcome to Country, but believed their overuse had rendered them 'tokenistic and insincere.' 'Generally speaking, often it has been overdone,' he said. Shadow Home Affairs spokesperson James Paterson at a press conference at Parliament House in Canberra on March 6, 2023. AAP Image/Mick Tsikas 'The opening up of parliament is an appropriate place to do it but when you're having a Zoom meeting probably not everybody in the call needs to do it. 'When you're having a conference, once is probably enough, not every single speaker.' Paterson said a Coalition government would not dictate on Welcome to Country ceremonies, adding that Indigenous contributions to the armed services was appropriate. 'My view is that one of the meaningful and appropriate things that does happen on Anzac Day is acknowledgement of Indigenous service in the Australian Defence Force, because the history in our country is that there are Indigenous people who signed up to fight for our country when frankly our country didn't treat them very well as citizens at the time,' he said.
ABC News
29-04-2025
- Politics
- ABC News
AUDIO: 'Disappointed': Ken Wyatt on Welcome to Country furore
The debate over Welcome to Country ceremonies has continued, with the Opposition Leader Peter Dutton suggesting Anzac Day dawn services should not include them. His comments follow public outrage over heckling led by a prominent neo-Nazi during a ceremony at Melbourne's Anzac Day dawn service on Friday. Former Coalition Minister for Indigenous Australians and member of the Kalamunda RSL in WA, Ken Wyatt, led calls for the RSL in WA to overturn a ban on the ceremonies being performed in 2020 and says the same arguments are resurfacing.
SBS Australia
22-04-2025
- Politics
- SBS Australia
Government faces lawsuit for failing to meet Closing the Gap targets
Government faces lawsuit for failing to meet Closing the Gap targets Published 22 April 2025, 8:56 am Australia's first Aboriginal person to be appointed Minister for Indigenous Australians has warned government may face class action lawsuits for failing to close the gap. Speaking on The Point's special election edition, Former Liberal cabinet minister, Ken Wyatt, also highlighted dysfunction in the funding allocation processes for Indigenous communities.
