4 days ago
First Nations leaders hope Labor will use big majority to pursue national truth telling
Prominent Indigenous Australians are hopeful the federal government will use its significant majority in parliament to progress a national truth telling process.
After declaring he would implement the Uluru Statement from the Heart in full — which includes establishing a Makarrata Commission to oversee truth telling — Prime Minister Anthony Albanese backed down from the commitment, after the decisive rejection of a Voice to Parliament.
But this week, Minister for Indigenous Australians Malarndirri McCarthy indicated she was still open to the concept, following a call from the so-called father of reconciliation, Pat Dodson.
"We have an opportunity now to have a look, with our new parliament, with our second term of government, to see what we can do moving forward," Minister McCarthy said.
"One of the things the prime minister and I have said with regards to the Uluru Statement from the Heart was that we supported the three principles: voice, treaty, truth, and we've never shied away from that."
While she acknowledged truth telling can happen in various ways — such as at schools — she was "ready to listen to what possibilities there could be in going forward."
First Nations leader and prominent Voice campaigner Thomas Mayo said that was a positive sign.
Mr Mayo partly blamed the prime minister's decision to retreat on Makarrata on the opposition.
"It was under some duress from an opposition party that were invigorated somewhat from their successful nastiness during the referendum campaign and…were feral anytime anything positive in Indigenous affairs was mentioned," he said.
He also urged Labor to be "courageous" after its resounding win.
"That majority was somewhat a repudiation on the Coalition's punching down on Indigenous Australians throughout their election campaign," he said.
Liberal senator Kerrynne Liddle, who is now the Shadow Indigenous Australians Minister, has 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 told the ABC earlier this month.
Mr Mayo also argued that the federal government should be encouraged by the Liberal government in Tasmania promising to set up truth telling commissioners.
Former Labor senator Pat Dodson said he too felt hopeful that Labor seemed open to a national truth telling process.
"I'm encouraged by the fact that the commitment that the Labor Party gave some time back, before this election, is still on the agenda," he said.
"Obviously it's got to be committed to and then they've got to set up a process to enact it.
"But it's a great thing because we've got to start listening to the different stories," he said.
Mr Dodson said there were leaders across the country willing to be involved.
"I'd encourage the minister to reach out to all these people and bring them together and start to map out a course in this term so that we can get on with it."
