Jacinta's Australia Day Speech: ‘Reflect, Respect, Celebrate’ PART ONE
January 26, 2022 http://www.jacintaprice.com/jacinta_price_australia_day_speech_reflect_respect_celebrate

This is the text of a speech delivered by Jacinta Price to the Australia Day Council at the Melbourne Club on January 24, 2022.

In 2016 on Australia Day, I was deeply compelled to voice a story, my story of identity, of being Australian and of my history. Little did I know the breadth of responses that my story would spark. Some found it refreshing and welcomed the open door to have the conversation, others found it confronting and shut the door to the conversation. Either way my contribution to the debate of changing the date has provided a credible unifiable reasoning and point of view. I’ll recap that story in a moment. But first some reflections on all that has happened since.

We have, without a doubt, since 2016 gone through and are still riding out one of the most challenging periods of our history as a collective. The Australia Day theme of Reflect, Respect and Celebrate could not be more appropriate, not just from an Australian history view but also from our recent journey view.

In 2021 the nation was blessed to be informed by a long-time educator and Senior Australian of the Year, Territorian Nauyiu Elder Miriam Rose, when she said ‘we need to slow down, deeply listen and feel it, our spirit, our place and this will give us an open heart’. More timely wisdom could not have been given, as the National Biosecurity threat of COVID-19 had well and truly arrived. During the past year, we have all, together experienced restrictions on travel, learning from home, working from home, vaccinations, check ins and lockdowns. These experiences have reminded us of the spirit of what is to be Australian, to care, to protect ourselves and our loved ones, and our government and community has done what was needed to get the job done.

Reflecting on Miriam’s words again, what has our COVID-19 experience taught us? For me and many others:

* How immensely lucky we are to have such a beautiful country...

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"This is the text of a speech delivered by Jacinta Price to the Australia Day Council at the Melbourne Club on January 24, 2022."

Jacinta Price is garbage wrapped in skin. Being an 'acceptable aboriginal' who parrots the racist right wing line is all she is and does

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Jacinta's Australia Day Speech: ‘Reflect, Respect, Celebrate’ PART TWO

January 26, 2022 http://www.jacintaprice.com/jacinta_price_australia_day_speech_reflect_respect_celebrate

"...Reflecting on [Senior Australian of the Year, Territorian Nauyiu Elder Miriam Rose’s] words again, what has our COVID-19 experience taught us? For me and many others:

* How immensely lucky we are to have such a beautiful country. We have all been exploring our backyard, whether it is the local park, local business, local national parks or even just a walk around the block, and we truly have the best backyard. That we can celebrate, connecting to place.

* We have deeply listened to the ones we care about, home schooling and work has not been easy, nor lockdowns, but this has in actuality resulted in regular video calls, conscious engagement with people, the provision of increased investment into important services such as mental health through telehealth, bringing help when we need it most into our homes, connecting to people.

* We are more aware of the amazing jobs our teachers do, and our health care workers, aged care homes, hospitals, and have been reinvigorated by the Australian way of caring for your neighbour, your loved ones or your mates, respecting people.

* We have again learnt the simplicity of celebrating and how great this feels through small wins like watching sunsets, spending time with loved ones, taking our dogs for walks, and for many reflecting on what is really important for us as individuals in relationships and as a family. So many have carved out new careers, earned degrees and taken the time to look after the elderly where they can, caring for country and people.

* We have learnt what the word ‘innovate’ can do for us in so many ways. It’s about being open, finding a way... I’ve seen videos of people cooking food with an iron in quarantine, people providing a need in crisis that has turned into small business, and what we can put together as a meal with limited food, having an open mind and heart..."

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Voice of racist,

You are really a racist troll. Go back under the rock you came from.

Senator Nampijinpa Price is the Coalition's new star
and darling. She belongs to a party with dwindling
membership, and captain's picks and now tries to
paint the culmination of years of consensus building
by the Indigenous people as "elitist."

What makes this argument particularly galling is the
sheer amount of groundwork that's been done up to this
point. The Indigenous Voice to Parliament comes out of
the Uluru Statement from the Heart process which included
a ground-breaking process of First Nations from across
Australia.

The Voice to Parliament is the remarkable
culmination of years of consensus building and grass roots
consultation. Before Ms Price tries to cast it as "elitist"
Perhaps she should look in the mirror and at the party
she supports. A party whose membership numbers have
dwindled, local branches stacked, candidates are
parachuted into electorates where they don't live.

Party powerbrokers who defy the wishes of the rank and file
and hand-pick their own candidates. All too often these
party processes and the rest of the political infrastructure
built off these parties serve the interests of the elite.

There is something deeply disingenuous about the way in
which some people are opposing the Voice by citing one or two
Indigenous voices when its pretty clear that they were
planning to oppose it anyway. And it's pretty clear that the
Voice included a ground-breaking process of First Nations from
across Australia.

"Consider the words of the Uluru Statement - it is a plea that
a people who for so long in our nation's history were not
counted should now be heard. "

People seem to think that they can continue to express their
anti-Indigenous opinions with impunity conflicting anti-
Indigenous and political sentiments as if they were the same.
It's ignorant and deliberate and we should oppose it with
all our strength.

"The model of the Voice is not what the referendum is about.
It's about ensuring that there will always be a First
Nations Voice in the centre of decision making and that
First Nations people are recognised and respected for their
sovereignty that was never ceded or extinguished."