Providing First Australians with a constitutionally recognised voice to parliament ought not be a controversial issue. Probably the simplest argument for this is the one that acknowledges the fact that Indigenous Australians were clearly and consciously excluded from the Constitution as it was written. It was not a case that they were not mentioned, but rather, they were mentioned solely to officially exclude them from what it meant to be Australian. Though subsequent amendments to the Constitution have redressed this to some extent, the fact remains that as it is written, the Constitution does not recognise the primacy of First Nations peoples. Primacy. Not superiority. They were here first. It's not appropriate that they are simply dragged into official existence through an adjustment to a document written by those who largely, consciously set out to erase them.
A Voice to Parliament is just that; a representative presence and source of contribution that we as a nation agree is sufficiently important to acknowledge at all times. It's the logical extension of a collective will to redress two and a half centuries of destruction and restore the cultural and human identities of First Nations peoples to some semblance of health, afford it due respect, and ensure its survival.
There are those who argue that it enshrines racial division. It does not. It enshrines racial equality and cultural validity in a society that has massively and disproportionately correlated race with inferiority and disadvantage. Racial division is the status quo, because there isn't any sense of equality between those who were here and those who arrived. The Constitution is not a treaty. It was not a jointly issued statement. It should always have expressly acknowledged and recognised those whose land it was - and whose land it still is, but it didn't. If there is any will whatsoever to acknowledge the truths of history, then enshrining an Indigenous Voice will go some way towards doing this.
When multiple High-Court Judges - our preeminent legal minds - are assured of its legal viability - we would do well to listen and to respect their expertise. We would be wise to accept that giving an authentic voice to a culture rich beyond measure in depth and breadth of knowledge is in the interests of all. We need a way not simply to ensure Indigenous Voice is expressed, but one that ensures that it is heard by those who most need to hear it. Our history is littered with errors, blunders and crimes of every imaginable kind due to a failure to seek Indigenous wisdom, listen to Indigenous concerns or respect Indigenous identity. We are all poorer for this, because it has damaged us in measurable ways as well as staining the very soul of whatever we think Australia to be.
Those who worry about increased bureaucracy or other similar issues are misguided in their concerns. Seldom if ever do any expansions of governmental oversight or regulatory expansions get this kind of hyperbolic attention. A Federal ICAC brings with it significant bureaucratic ramifications, but these are broadly accepted as the cost of doing important business. If enshrining a Voice to Parliament were viewed as comparably important, the concerns about bureaucracy would evaporate.
The Voice to Parliament isn't simply important; it is vital. As a nation, we cannot possibly move forward without ensuring that we take with us the very best of who we are and who we were. The survival of Indigenous culture and identity in the face of an invasion-level threat is nothing short of miraculous. Metaphorically, we took an axe to a tree of incredible size and age and chopped it down to a ground-level stump. We then cleared the land and imposed our foreign will onto it. And yet somehow, the tree survived. Its roots were far stronger than we could possibly have known. And let's be brutally honest; if a good deal of white Australia had known just how strong those roots were, they'd have dug them up and salted the earth. But it didn't happen, and the tree began to produce shoots. The tree is ancient, and the shoots are precious. If they are not protected - just as we protect all manner of other elements of culture, of flora, of fauna, of law - they may perish. This cannot be allowed to happen. It cannot.
I live in Perth. But I also live in Booraloo. I live on the land of the Wadjuk Peoples of the Noongar Nation. I am beyond privileged to live here. When I hear the word 'Perth', I think of a distant land. When I hear 'Booraloo', I feel an ancient one. It is the one I want to call home.
I recognise the primacy of First Nations people. When I, as a Catholic, am in the presence of Priests or other clergy, I don't feel that I am in the presence of 'superior' Catholics, but ones who are privileged to be the custodians of something old, powerful and unique. I honour the men who devote themselves to the Priesthood by calling them 'Father'. I feel the same desire to call Indigenous Elders 'Uncle' and 'Aunty'. To want a Voice to Parliament is to want to hear them, and to acknowledge they are coming from somewhere uniquely special. I am not envious. I am not jealous. I feel honoured to be in their presence.
I am Australian-born but I am not Indigenous to this country any more than a fox. Fortunately, unlike foxes, there isn't a plan to try to eradicate me, despite what the chicken-brained-littles might think. Indigenous culture and Non-Indigenous cultures are on a journey not just towards co-existence but co-dependence, in which we gift each other with the very best of who we are. For all the technologies and perspectives that White-Australia brought to this continent, we will never be able to surpass what it has offered us. A fusion of spirituality and sustainability. A sense of kinship with a cultural memory that defies time. We were blind and we were cruel, but it isn't too late to rub our eyes, bow our heads and listen.
The Voice is a gift that is being offered to ALL of us. We would be absolute fools to refuse it.
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