Ok, I almost called this: “Some days I wonder if Pauline isn’t just Peter Dutton in drag!”
Anyway, if you go onto social media, you’ll find any number of people suggesting that the Voice will be just like apartheid…
Mm, for those of you who’ve forgotten, here are some of the major features of South Africa’s apartheid regime.
- Pass Laws: The government implemented pass laws that restricted the movement of non-Whites. Black Africans were required to carry identification documents called “passbooks” that specified where they were allowed to live and work. Violations of these laws could result in arrest, detention, and deportation.
- Job Reservation and Forced Labor: The regime implemented job reservation policies that restricted certain jobs and industries exclusively for Whites. Non-Whites faced limited employment opportunities and were often subjected to low wages and poor working conditions. Additionally, migrant labor systems were established, forcing Black African men to leave their families and work in urban areas under highly exploitative conditions.
- Political Repression: The apartheid regime systematically oppressed political opposition, particularly targeting organizations such as the African National Congress (ANC) and Pan Africanist Congress (PAC). Activists were arrested, detained, and subjected to torture. Organizations were banned, and censorship was prevalent to suppress dissent.
- Racial Discrimination: Apartheid enforced widespread racial discrimination in all aspects of life. Non-Whites faced discriminatory laws regarding marriage, land ownership, access to public services, and social amenities. Interracial relationships were prohibited, and social interaction between races was heavily regulated.
So, according to some, the Voice – if successful – will lead to the Parliament being forced to implement such laws as no interracial marriage. Mm, seems like they’re getting a little carried away by their hyperbole. Either that, or else they have no idea what apartheid was because, well, it didn’t really interest them much due to the fact that it was happening to someone else.. And by someone else, I mean coloured South Africans because I remember that Peter Dutton, who definitely isn’t racist, wanted white South Africans to be fast-tracked because their lives were apparently in danger… This, of course, isn’t queue jumping because other refugees whose lives are in danger need to understand that white people are always first in the queue.
Yeah, I guess what I can’t get over is the fact that you have all these people arguing that announcing your intention to vote against the Voice doesn’t make you a racist, only to destroy any credibility that might have by launching into a tirade which ends with something like, “Aboriginals have always hated Aussies!” and getting upset when some lefty suggests that the Indigenous population may be considered by some to actually be “Aussies”!
To be fair, Malcolm Fraser was opposed to apartheid, and John Howard, while opposing it as Opposition leader, suggested that he didn’t support sanction because he didn’t think that they’d achieve much, and it wasn’t his problem anyway. So when I say that Peter Dutton is breaking with Liberal tradition in opposing apartheid, I’m using hyperbole in much the same way that pretty much every argument against the Voice has used hyperbole. Hyperbole can best be described as exaggeration for effect or, in layman’s terms, lying.
For example, when Peter Dutton talks about “Anthony Albanese’s proposal for a Voice to Parliament”, he’s overlooking that it was the Uluru Statement that asked for it and, I’m fairly sure that Albo wasn’t there at the time. This is just Canberra hyperbole. Or a bald-faced lie. Which in Dutton’s case is a bit unfair. Not because of his face but because he there’s no evidence that he reads anything apart from the speeches someone writes for him, so he may not be aware of the Uluru statement.
Yes, when Peter Dutton says that we don’t want a Canberra voice, I wonder if he realises that one of the voices from Canberra that most people don’t want to hear, is his!
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