Dear Foxy,

Using the race powers of the constitution is an interesting justification for the Voice. There is opinion that it is an archaic part of the constitution designed to support the white Australia policy that was all the rage in the new federation.

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-06-04/races-power-in-constitution-should-change-say-retired-judges/12312362

I'd gladly vote yes in a referendum to have the race powers removed from the constitution. Establishing race or heritage based privilege seems like a back to future moment I have no desire to see repeated.

SM

"It's good that you agree with the claim that Aboriginal culture has not remained unchanged for 60 000 years is bollocks (your favourite word)." I don't know who is saying that, I often hear about Aboriginal culture as being "continuous" rather than "unchanged". Its my belief that all cultures by their very nature are dynamic, and therefore subject to change. What is a big driver of cultural change is the arrival of outside influences, such as colonisers, Roman Britain is a good example of colonising change. Some scorn the fact that certain cultural behaviours are recent developments within Aboriginal society, such as "dot painting" time is irrelevant, one could say the same thing about the "boomerang" as also being a recent development.

Dear Fester,

You said: "Using the race powers of the constitution is an interesting justification for the Voice."

And: "There is opinion that it is an archaic part of the constitution designed to support the white Australia policy"

Permit me to make the following argument.

The race laws in the Constitution can hardly be regarded as archaic after they had been used in a punitive fashion by Howard during the Intervention. Indeed he had to suspend the Racial Discrimination Act to do so.

However most Australians including myself can not envisage them being used against any other race, I really don't think Australians would stand for it. Yet it is not difficult to see them being directed again at Aborigine communities by future governments, in other words the reality is only our indigenous folk likely ever to be impacted those powers.

Given that, the Voice can be quite reasonably seen as a counter weight to those powers, and an important one.

I too would have preferred there was no need for the Voice, that our indigenous people enjoyed the same benefits and opportunities that the rest of us have. That they weren't living 20 to a 3 bedroom house and suffering from diseases of poverty like trachoma.

But the gaps in life outcomes are far too entrenched, and at this stage seemingly too intractable, not to strengthen pathways of dialogue aimed at bridging those gaps.

That is what mature and well resourced nations do.

If you take a look at the Sentinelese tribes from which the aboriginal tribes descended 4.230 years ago out of India, they had spears, boomerang shaped sticks and bow and arrows. The aboriginals in the top of NT were using spears and bow and resin tipped arrows. Both have low resistance to common diseases.

Steele, is Voting Yes because he believes it will give them better housing and health. I thought that was Linda Burney's responsibility already. They prefer to live in a family community - all in together. They do not want three-bedroom houses, they want open plan living no walls, with an open fire in the middle as has been stated by their women elders. As for improving their life span, they need to have children outside their race. The Voice will not improve their life span as they have low immunity to diseases, they need genetic changes.

He said "I too would have preferred there was no need for the Voice, that our indigenous people enjoyed the same benefits and opportunities that the rest of us have. That they weren't living 20 to a 3 bedroom house and suffering from diseases of poverty like trachoma."

He said, "But the gaps in life outcomes are far too entrenched, and at this stage seemingly too intractable, not to strengthen pathways of dialogue aimed at bridging those gaps. That is what mature and well resourced nations do."

Here is a brief Aboriginal History:

http://aboriginalheritage.org/history/history/

Much can be learned from it.