One of the biggest political scams in Australia is unfolding and the only people seeing it are our first inhabitants, writes Vanessa Kairies. Vanessa, a proud Indigenous lady, wants to share her story with the wider community.

The saga continues, it’s been going on for longer than the Star Wars’ movies.

“What is it?” you may ask? It is hard to condense, given that the rort has been going on for 225 years.

This chapter begins with Canberra’s spin doctors working yet another miracle. How to convince Australia that we are really not a bunch of racist bigots and we are doing everything we can, to do the right thing by the original inhabitants of this land.

I’ve got one word for you, folks: ‘Recognise.’ When it comes to the sham that is the ‘Recognise’ campaign, the two major political parties stand united. It is an absolute insult on the grandest scale. Don’t be fooled, they have alterior motives. I’ll go into them later. You only have to follow the Indigenous sites and read peoples’ comments to see that the majority of people are in opposition to the government’s proposal (The Government ‘Con’ in Constitutional Recognition and About ‘Sovereign Union’).

To understand why, you need to know your history. Not that sugar coated version they teach you in school. Let us begin with:

Aboriginal history timeline (1900 – 1969)

Aboriginal history timeline (1970 – 1999)

Aboriginal history timeline (2000 – today)

Australian Aboriginal culture

Now let us digress for a moment and look at the ye old days and formal advise from the Crown.

The Queen, god bless her, ‘recognised’ way back then, that the sacred laws and culture of people needed to be honoured and protected. This became the basis for the Constitution.

Odd, you may think . . . Why would Canberra want to start a campaign to ‘Recognise’, when it has already been done? Answer: To rewrite the Constitution, making anything in the Constitution null and void.

Add a bit here, take away a bit there, whatever is needed to serve the purpose.

But wait, there’s more. If that doesn’t work, they have a secret weapon called ‘Referendum’.

Before I met my elder, I thought a referendum was a great idea. Let people shake off that convict mentality. A good thing for that ‘Reclaim Australia’ mob. When I look at the bigger picture, I see that the people that are owed the greatest amount of respect in this country will be screwed over yet again.

Becoming a Republic is open slather to change everything. The Queen is no longer ruler, so everything in the constitution and all of the advice from the Crown can be ignored. The impacts will be felt nationwide.

Graphics via Sovereign Union

I am not a Monarchist. I really admire the foresight that the Queen had way back then. She knew what greed could do. She knew what humanity was capable of doing to acquire it. This course of action will take away any rights that folk have left. This will have dire consequences for the people, the land, the animals. These are the core and essence of culture. An elder said to me, “We don’t own the land, the land owns us”. In a nutshell, this is our religion. It is a spiritual connection not only to the land, but to the universe itself. Destroy the land and you assassinate the spirit of the culture.

It has already happened. Sacred sites destroyed. Others with world heritage listing to be de-registered.

The rituals have gone in many places. The practises obsolete. The younger generation suffer because of it. Nothing gets passed down. I call it ‘ethnic cleansing’.

What is the motive? Why bipartisan political support? How will it benefit the Libs and the Labs? Let’s look at the sponsors for the Recognise campaign and the the party policies.

‘Recognise’ is backed by the major football codes, Cricket Australia and Corporations including Qantas, Telstra, Westpac, PMG, Lend Lease, Sodexo, Accor, Transfield, National Australia Bank, Commonwealth Bank Australia, Rio Tinto, Chevron and Woodside.

Oh look, there is some foreign owned, major mining corporations sponsoring ‘Recognise.’

Liberal Party: You would be surprised to see how much coal, coal seam gas, petroleum, iron ore, bauxite, alumina, aluminium, uranium, diamonds, salt and god only knows what other filthy mining is going on in Australia. The Liberal Party are dirty, rotten, climate change denialists. The whole ‘mining is good mentality’ has become an international embarrassment. The facts are in, the scientists all agree, climate change is real, the world is warming, the sea is rising, and this is caused by rising levels of CO2. This is caused by man. We are responsible. Did you know that Denmark is 100% powered by wind? Tony is too.

Graphics via Sovereign Union

Bring on the summit in Paris, that will be good for a laugh. I can see all of those little memes now.

What stands in their way of pursuing more mining and pushing the current mining proposals through?

People living on THEIR land. Written into the Constitution.

Labor Party: What a time the Labor Party had convincing Australia they were the party for them. Back peddling on their initial cut to RETS and coming out to support the renewable energy sector. There’s votes in this one. Marriage equality too. Hats off to them for trying to take credit for their new renewable energy and marriage equality policies. I’ve seen their politicians come out and say they are the only ones that will deliver. Shame the policies were originally the platform for the Greens. In my opinion a much more progressive bunch, way ahead of their time.

Smokescreen alert! I smell a rat.

Hang on, at the recent Labor Party Conference Bill Shorten supports the Liberal Party’s policies for the inhumane treatment of the asylum seekers. The whole turn back the boats, offshore processing debacle continues. If it wasn’t so tragic, it would be laughable. Now that’s a whole new international crime novel.

I digress.

The Labor Party is committed to nuclear power. I thought we finished that prehistoric idea back in the 80s. This, combined with the deal with India means that there is a need for developing more uranium mines. I shudder to think what could happen with the uranium leaving our shores. If you’re new to this, politicians are known to lie.

What stands in their way of pursuing uranium mining? People living on THEIR land, of course.

Call me old fashioned but I tend to put human rights before politics.

There are currently 150 Aboriginal communities that are to be forced to leave their traditional lands so that this proposal can continue. I am assuming it is for this reason, the whole thing is a secret, like most other things in our country now, i.e. the TPP.

No-one knows which communities are going to close. How does the idea of hundreds of homeless people sound to you? It is already happening. People wonder why there is such a problem with serious social issues, mental health, domestic violence, drugs and alcohol, suicides. It is blatantly obvious why.

For more information you could try speak to the WA premier. He is a Liberal, his name is Colin Barnett, or perhaps you could talk to Andrew Forrest, a.k.a. ‘Twiggy’ to see what he is up to in the region. I know Gina has just bought a huge parcel of land in WA. She doesn’t seem like the type to retire just yet.

This situation is not isolated to WA alone: it is happening nation wide and not just to Aboriginal folk. Australia really needs to come together on this. Any change to the Constitution or becoming a Republic has the possibility of affecting everyone. Try to see past things and look for the motive.

You don’t have to be a rocket scientist to connect the dots.

Here’s what some of the people have to say:

Gail Beck, Nyoongar: A tireless worker for Aboriginal rights and member of South West Land and Sea Council: “Those that have us in the Constitution, will then be granted continual powers to make laws for us and without us . . . For our own good . . . The Constitution is the government’s law making blue print . . . We do not need to be in that preamble to recognise us is OK but not in the main law making document. It is all trickery and government lead.. This is not a people movement.

Vicki Lee Roach – Yuin woman from South Coast, NSW – human rights activist and advocate for decarceration, prison abolition for Aboriginal women currently in prison.

How many millions of dollars have been slashed from Aboriginal Legal Aid? How much more from Indigenous health, education and other services? How many remote communities are to be closed down because they’re ‘not viable’, because there’s not enough money? If there is no money for these important things, how then is there over $50m to spend on a campaign to recognise us in the constitution? More to the point, WHY is there so much money to spend on this issue in the middle of an alleged ‘budget emergency’? Why are several multi-national mining companies, along with all sides of politics also spending 10’s of millions of dollars to convince us, (the campaign started in Indigenous communities), that we need to be recognised in the Constitution? Is this where the money for Indigenous services has gone, (the figures are oddly similar)? To fund a campaign for something that we are not even allowed to know what form it is to take, how it will be worded or what impact it will have on us? On an issue that will affect only Indigenous people. We are only 2.5% of the pop., we will effectively have no voice in a referendum?

Clinton Jetta BFR:

Why constitutional recognition? Why now? And, why are they spending so many millions of dollars to make it happen? Before anybody casts a vote for ‘yes’ in any constitutional reform referendum, these questions must not only be asked but honest answers demanded!

And this from Nova Peris about the patronising language from the government and also partly in response to this vile statement from Andrew Bolt. (As an aside, if you wish to complain the Press Council about Bolt’s comment you can do so here).

There you go, the real voice of Australia. Not those paid to be. What a waste of time and money. Money that can been directed into actually getting results.

Graphics via Sovereign Union

I see the public and politicians declaring their outrage trying to seize publicity from what happened to Adam Goodes and using it once again to spread propaganda. How many of them are actually prepared to take an honest look at the whole picture of what is happening? How many of them have educated themselves to see how they can help. How many of them actually listen to the voice of Australia? How can 40 government selected members of the ‘Recognise’ campaign represent all of Australia? To be truly democratic, this alone needs to be put to the vote. Only then will you get true representation. People that act on behalf of the people. It is all a never ending debate. It keeps them and others employed.

A wise elder said to me “politicians don’t care.” I guess she is right. There is not enough votes in it for them. They care when it suits them, when there is a photo opportunity, like the token kiss on the babies cheek.

Aboriginal Australia alone doesn’t have enough votes to make a real difference. It is up to Australia as a whole, to unify and say “enough is enough.” Instead of ‘Recognise’, try ‘Realising’ what you are missing out on. The most beautiful culture and way of life imaginable.

Open your hearts and your minds to become involved, unify and learn news things.

You won’t be disappointed.

Many things that are currently happening around Australia are human rights issues. Gillian Triggs can see it, Amnesty Australia, The United Nations, Oxfam Australia and all of the other charities can see it.

Image courtesy of Vanessa Kairies

I am not a member of any political party, just an ordinary member of the public who is deeply concerned with what is happening. I choose to read all of the party policies so I am informed when it comes time to vote.

Spread the word. If you’re not enrolled to vote, do so. Read the policies before you vote. Check the preferences. Listen to your instincts. Ask questions. Talk to your local member. Speak out.This country needs you.

It is time for all politicians to grow a conscience. Going to church on Sunday and introducing the policies that are currently in place, in my view, makes the ratbags hypocrites.

It is time for the environmental vandalism to stop. The real terrorism in this country is destroying the heart, the life and the soul of our nation.

Nothing changes, if nothing changes.

What I would like to see is an overhaul to the entire political system. There is no true democracy in this country. I heard a suggestion that politicians should be made to have a proper psychological assessment before they are allowed in Parliament. What a great idea. Another one, that every member, State and Federal should have their individual policies made public.

How can solutions to major issues be found with inventive ideas when all the politicians do is bicker and argue? What sort of example is this setting for Australia? It has set the precedent for all other interactions amongst communities nationwide. You only have to watch ‘Question time,’ on the ABC to be revolted. Perhaps that is the strategy, to divide and conquer, it has been used for millenniums.

Who you vote for, has the future of the generations to come in their hands. Choose wisely.

Please take the time out to open up my cartoons and read all of the previous comments. Just click to open. You will come away enlightened. Cartoon locations:

Introduced species.

Cocky’s crusades.

Life’s a beach.

Morality.

I flew over the cuckoo’s nest.

Further reading

Newspaper clippings (below) and approval of article by elder Helen Dodds of the National Aboriginal Constitution Office.

Notes

Vote no to Constitution reform graphic courtesy of Blackfulla Revolution.

Sovereign Union website.