On becoming an Australian citizen I gave my allegiance to Her Majesty the Queen, Her heirs and successors - and so it shall remain.

Not only will I not break my commitment by voting for a republic, but I do actually prefer the potential and very theoretical tyranny of one dispassionate person in England who doesn't even have vested interests in the country, over the likely tyranny of dumb majorities who can easily be incited against minorities for small immediate gains. I feel safer this way.

«what we want is a single country and a single nation in which everybody, whoever they are and whatever their origin, has equal rights, duties, opportunities and privileges...»

Sorry sir, this is what YOU want - speak for yourself please.

Hi Rodney,

A Truth and Reconciliation Commission - which could be set up tomorrow - which confines itself to finding just that, the truth, no more and no less, the whole truth about every grievance issue - Yes !

So, for example, massacres: Why not investigation of, say, twenty suspected massacre sites, the most notorious and/or most likely to yield the clearest evidence one way or the other ? Yes !

'Stolen Generation': for those who dare, to present their files before a court. Yes !

'Stolen Wages': an examination of mission files and store accounts to see whether or not families back on the missions were being supplied with rations every day while their men were away working ? And whether or not they received standard wages ? Yes !

And everything else too, every gripe, every suspicion. Examine them all. Yes !

The truth has to be based on evidence, not on stories or Chinese-whispered oral accounts.

Perhaps such a Commission could be set up as a Court ?

One day, we will have genuine reconciliation, but only on the basis of the truth. I hope i live long enough.

Cheers,

Joe

Let’s NOT establish anything. Let's, instead, drop all this patronising and pandering - and spending huge sums of money - and by doing so, force people on the aboriginal gravy train to get off and start fending for themselves.

And, let's NOT listen to someone who thinks that “we probably need more non-British Australians in order to counterbalance the overwhelming weight of the nostalgic vote perpetuated by British Royal mania”. That is the most disloyal anti-Australian garbage to appear in these pages for some time”

If we must have som form of purely advisory council to parliament, it needs to be totally representative of all aboriginal people, including the most remote.
To avoid the nepotism and fixing of elections that happened with ATSIC, the only way to ensure this is to have one representative from each registered tribal group. Each adult can only nominate for one tribe, which is important given that these days many aboriginal people have genetic Input from multiple tribes. That person would have to demonstrate that they actually live in the area they wish to represent. So some one like Pat Dodson couldn’t represent his tribe in the West Kimberley because he hasn’t lived here for decades.
This 200 plus group could then nominate spokesmen to represent regional areas, one for each area, so you end up with a manageable number.
This way, people in the bush would have an equal say with people from the city, and there would no way rig this council with predominantly city people who are already in positions of power.
If people must insist on calling tribes nations then to be fair, each nation must be represented.

1. And how would the author define

"all our nation's Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples"

The definitions are so loose that someone who is 15/16s white or has no Aboriginal blood at all considers themselves Aboriginal.

2. Also aren't the author's racially based ideas racist? pitting Australian against Australian?

3. Different Aborigines and Torres Strait Islanders will have different ideas of the Commission's place and powers. Some will consider it a third House of Parliament with power to block House of Reps and Senate decisions.

Why? Will that change that history, however despicable, or further unite a fractured people!?
Or will it further embed professional victimhood (reverse apartheid) and a black armband view of history?
All while shifting blame for that same history to folk who weren't there or disagree emphatically with things done in their name, without their informed consent!
And or by distant preceding generations!
I prefer a truth and reconciliation commision, not unlike that great statesman Nelson Mandela advocated and introduced.
We need to come together forgive past ignorance on both sides or transported against their will, former generations.
And as part of formal reconciliation negotiate a treaty and formalize a new land act that incorporates individual native tile ownership and inheritance by individuals instead of this or that mob!
Alan B.