Keeping the Gap open is what the Voice is aiming for. Just think, without a Gap there's no excuse for bleating for more funding without offering some effort in return !

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Dear Fester,

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You wrote :

1. « I think the word you want is identical … »
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No, I don’t “want” the word identical, Fester. I don’t think you want it either. If you did you would have used it.

What you wrote was :

« Whatever the circumstances, we are all in this nation together, so better to be equal with a common purpose and support than divided with conflicting interests. »

You employed the word “equal” and that was the word I commented on.
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2. « Do you disagree with the concept of equality for people voting or having laws applied to them? If you do disagree then how would the Voice address this given that you would only be addressing the inequality you see on the basis of ancestral heritage? »
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Of course, I agree with democracy : equal voting rights and the people establishing the laws to which they agree to submit themselves.

Since I do not “disagree”, your second question does not apply. Nevertheless, I should like to make a few comments.

The population of Australians self-identifying today as Indigenous is approximately 1 million, and of all those aged 20 to 64, about 9% have already attained or are currently studying for a bachelor’s degree in Australia. That is quite remarkable given that just over 200 years ago, their ancestors were living in this country in a primitive, naked state, hunting wild animals with spears and boomerangs.

But, as I indicated in my previous post, many of them are caught between the two cultures, their traditional Aboriginal culture and modern Western culture, and have great difficulty reconciling the two.

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(Continued …)

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(Continued …)

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It has been said that the true measure of a democracy is the way it treats its minorities. Section 51 of our old colonial constitution stipulates :

« The Parliament shall, subject to this Constitution, have power to make laws for the peace, order, and good government of the Commonwealth with respect to the people of any race for whom it is deemed necessary to make special laws »

This is known as our colonial constitution’s “race power” clause. It obviously does not apply to all Australians, only to people of any “race”, i.e., in 1901, when our old colonial constitution was established, to the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, who, today, represent 3.8% of the population of Australia and 32% of our country’s prison population.

At the last count, we rate 15th on the world democracy index of the Economist Intelligence Unit and are classified as a “full democracy” and we can be quite proud of it.

It remains to be seen what effect the refusal to allow our indigenous minority to have a say in laws affecting them will have on that and on our Human Rights record which is, generally speaking, not too bad.

The political fallout both at home and abroad could be quite negative.

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true measure of a democracy is the way it treats its minorities.
Banjo Paterson,
yes, unlike here where the minorities dictate to the majority !

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Dear Indyvidual,

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You wrote :

« [The] true measure of a democracy is the way it treats its minorities … unlike here where the minorities dictate to the majority ! »
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You didn’t indicate in which country you are located, Indyvidual, but I imagine it must be one of the authoritarian states (Laos, North Korea, Iran, Saudi Arabia, China … ?).

At least in that respect, I guess it’s true to say that we really are the “lucky country”.

I have no idea what the possibilities are these days, but maybe you should consider migrating to Australia.

If you haven’t already done so, give it a thought, Indyvidual. I'm sure you won't regret it.

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"You (Indy) didn’t indicate in which country you are located" He's well and truly planted in Australia, don't ask him where he came from, that s dark secret! "but maybe you (Indy) should consider migrating to Australia." He has, and he's had his snout firmly fixed in the welfare trough ever since! Disgraceful!