By Kerri L
As many Australians over these two few days have mourned the passing of yet another member of the Yunupingu family (of Yothu Yindi fame) – whose groundbreaking song “Treaty” has been ringing in my ears since Sunday morning – I am saddened and shamed by the simple fact that even with a hit song 32 years ago that pleaded for the non-indigenous Australian community to recognise and acknowledge the Indigenous community that has existed on this island before we upended their lives 235 years ago, we still have people like Opposition spokesman for Indigenous Australians, Julian Leeser, even at yesterday’s press club lunch, claiming that the referendum on recognising our Indigenous citizens and their rights to some degree of autonomy over their lands, their peoples and their rights and laws has been “rushed”.
It has been 32 years since Yothu Yindi released that song FFS!
32 years of Indigenous pleas for recognition that I am aware of!
And even though Mr Leeser was a mere 14 years old when that legendary tune awakened so many to the calls from Indigenous Australians, he appears to have lived those 32 years with his fingers firmly in his ears whilst claiming to support Indigenous recognition.
The LNP do not support Indigenous recognition unless that means Indigenous Australians should remain overruled by laws we create in the desert lands, not fertile zones, with health issues we introduced them to and recognised for making boomerangs and dot paintings for tourists so that wealthy miners and stockholders can continue to use native lands for whatever suits their bank balances.
Lest we forget?
We slavishly self-flagellate over our “diggers” and ANZAC heroes from a mere 108 years ago yet we continue to treat the peoples who have inhabited this land for over 60,000 years with the utmost contempt.
I am sure there are LNP politicians who treat their own offspring with more adult deference than they choose to confer on our First Nations peoples.
Like I said, it saddens and shames me.
We are no better than the USA for the way we treat our citizens of colour.
We are, in fact, worse than South Africa in our treatment of our First Nations peoples because at least South Africa recognised and abolished apartheid whilst we sit on our hands and continue with the suppurating excuses of the extreme-right who want nothing but what they want for themselves.
It disgusts me.
I am actually sneering whilst I type this.
Kevin Rudd, Paul Keating, Gough Whitlam: These groundbreaking politicians made changes in an attempt to start the ball rolling on Indigenous recognition and on some form of long overdue restitution.
The LNP prefer to bury their heads in the sands of time and pat our Indigenous community on the head with a “there, there, now run along and play in your sandpit” paternalistic attitude.
Vote yes to The Voice because it’s about bloody time we did something for the original owners of this great land we all love but only some of us have a say in.
At least do it for Yunupingu.
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