By Jane Salmon
The cut-through of mercenary, racist and Trumpist tropes reflected in the “No” referendum campaign has many people, including refugees, alarmed.
Any endorsement of Dutton is going to play against not only those experiencing the highest infant mortality, highest incarceration rates and shortest life spans: it will also affect asylum seekers and refugees. Labor has attempted moral leadership on such a mild ask … and lost. Will Labor dare stand up against mindless redneck selfishness again?
It is bad enough that right-wing media can reflect a conservative agenda. It is worse to have it confirmed that they can prosecute that agenda effectively in almost every part of the nation. The conservative cabal clustered around Dutton appears to have gotten away with disinformation of the most transparent kind.
Never mind that for ten generations Aborigines have experienced visibly negative treatment. Shallow and frankly hypocritical arguments about racial unity have trumped the bare facts. Victim blaming wins again.
Did Labor appease racists for too long when in Opposition? Is this the price?
Is Labor even more likely to capitulate on race and immigration issues now? Is it “safer” for them to go back to denying the humanity and harm done to refugees offshore? Do we go back to top-down military interventions in the Territory? Do we get on with blaming people who climbed into boats to get away from serious oppression for their “life and death” decisions? Will Labor again join Dutton’s LNP in trivialising genuine fear and desperation as a lifestyle choice? Or will Labor confirm that other categories of economic adjustment or migration are affecting the housing market?
Perhaps Labor can wake up and smell the “Teal” message: that vigorous campaigning on progressive issues can convert educated voters in former Liberal seats. Independents show that it is possible to convert complacent Liberal seats into conscience-led ones if you pick your issues and target your message well. Access to affordable tertiary education is powerful in changing politics. So too is building community from the grassroots up.
Perhaps Labor can also see that the backlog of refugees languishing on temporary visas are 20,000 potentially grateful voters. Such refugees handed out “Yes” material without having the right to cast a ballot themselves. They will not readily forget the horror inflicted on them by offshore and on by the LNP. Dutton is never going to be their friend and they will not vote for him. Each of those people has a network. Labor needs that network. These are people desperate enough to leave everything behind them. They are not conservative Golden Ticket migrants.
This week, there is a convergence of refugees in Canberra. Will Labor sit licking their wounds over the lost referendum, or will they renew their stand against racism? The Government have a chance to emerge from their offices, to look victims of cruel social policy in the eye and say, “We are better than this”. We are judged by our deeds. There are many ways of helping to review the medical, education and legal outcomes for Aborigines. Consultation need not be enshrined in the constitution to occur.
Similarly, the Department of Immigration can switch temporary visas to permanent ones. There is the opportunity to close offshore detention for good and to admit that regional processing of refugees will prevent irregular arrivals by any mode of transport.
People whose lives have been Pezzulloed or Duttoned need not stay that way. We can bring fairness back to broken systems and begin by righting old wrongs.
Hoping every member of Cabinet will emerge from their bunker and look an Aborigine or a refugee in the eye this week.
See you in Canberra Tuesday 17 October 2023 from 10am and again on Wednesday when women refugee walkers (WAVE) complete their hike from Melbourne.
Things we hear from every refugee currently in limbo
I am part of a minority group. It is not something I can change.
We protested and then the Government called us in for questioning.
I was put on an airport watch list.
I decided I did not want to participate in war.
A family member was killed.
I came by boat and it was very scary.
My brother got treated differently to me by Australian Immigration. He is now a citizen.
Detention was traumatising. It went on and on. It ruined my health.
Immigration staff seemed racist. I knew they would not give me a visa.
The Court process cost a lot. It has yielded no results.
I try to be the best Aussie I can be.
I volunteer in a soup kitchen or op shop. It helps my English.
I worked in the front line during the pandemic.
I pay a lot of tax but cannot vote.
Temporary visas are difficult.
I used to believe in God but now I am not sure.
My children cannot afford university when they matriculate. They want to work in medicine or as engineers.
Permanent jobs require a permanent visa.
I cannot study or convert my degree. I work as a tradie or shop owner.
I cannot get a mortgage.
I pay tax but cannot consistently access services like Medicare. I pay my own medical bills.
I send money to my mother. She is sick.
I don’t think I could ever go back to wearing a hijab.
I spoke to a journalist in Australia. My parents got a call from the Government back home telling them to come in and explain.
I am walking / cycling / travelling to Canberra because I don’t know what else to do.
I need to pay another lawyer to apply for Ministerial Intervention.
I feel rejected. I wake with a sense of dread. I feel depressed. I have no hope.
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Unless Labor drop their timidity on all the ‘difficult’ issues, we are going backwards.Too many professional politicians,too many old passengers too many of them stuck firmly in a time that has gone.As for the droog Dutton and his rascist sycophants…they’ are well and truly fucked.Best look for a spot in the Trump circus,where they’d fit right in.And Albo seriously needs some fresh,independent advisors.
Some of us are better than this, but the majority – and especially the majority of those with actual power – are not.
#NotAllAustralians
While I was desperate for the LNP criminal gang to be kicked out, from the very beginning I believed that Albanese would be a lame duck, and that’s exactly what he’s proved to be. What we needed was another Whitlam or Hawke but we ended up with Albo. His promotion of the referendum was pathetically ham-fisted. At ever turn he allowed the vile Dutton to take charge. Before the last election the Biloela family were great advertisements but thousands of immigrants are still languishing on visas, many of them not allowed either to get education or to work. Huge numbers who are on SHEV visas were told a year ago that they would go straight to permanent residency but they are still waiting. The Administrative Appeals Tribunal, which had been stuffed with LNP lackeys who did no work, was supposed to have been abolished, with a new tribunal formed. This hasn’t happened, so thousands of asylum seekers are left in limbo. Murdoch and the other oligarchs are still running the country. The media have been allowed to destroy any sense of decency we had, and Albo has done nothing to challenge their power. For many years, under the malign LNP, Australia has been circling the drain. I fear that under Albo we’ll go right down the pipe.
Sorry guys, I hate to break it to you. The Australian public is still easily fooled by the old “FUD” technique. It stands for Fear Uncertainty, and Doubt. This works even better if people are ignorant, and slightly bigoted in the “right” way. In this case most of them are secretly racist, although they would stoutly deny it. (check how Queensland voted as usual). They will point to the billions being spent on aboriginals and ask why there is no improvement, etc., especially when our hardworking peoples’ tax dollars are given to these lazy, shiftless, criminal, child abusing people. It is better, they will say, to ask them to get a grip and improve their circumstances, just like most of “us”, instead of indulging in all this extra bureaucracy which will not help them one bit.
I have read the comments on the various youtube channels and the message is plain. I do not need to say any more.
The benefit of the referendum is that we now know clearly who is who, and what they are on about. We just need to remember.
We can never take the moral high road over the racist, ignorant, poorly educated, Trumpist and likely low IQ of the mainly, Southern States of the US, ever again. We’ve just confirmed we’re one of them.
Till our media and centrist politicians start recognising imported ideology, strategy, tactics and (global) network outlets, with media PR & comms, similar will happen again i.e. fall into the same fossil fueled traps to slow progress…
Earlier this year McManus or O’Neil warned the government and the Yes campaign that the No campaign, lies & dog whistling via bots, trolls, influencers and media, was already up and running online…. but, one presumes a lack of digital literacy and complacency across the board inc. Yes campaign, did not take it seriously.
One warned that the No Voice campaign was replicating Brexit and Trump, targeting oldies via MSM and middle aged via social media (esp regions), well ahead of time to create the conditions i.e. in case of Brexit, dog whistling EU, Europe and immigration over decades; supported by Murdoch et al media and US fossil fueled linked Atlas or Koch Network think tanks (at infamous Tufton St & locally Rhinehart & Joyce supported IPA).
Quelle surprise, local history academic at UTS, Walker, finds that the ‘No’ campaign is linked to Atlas/Koch Network’s modus operandi vs. Canadian indigenous in DeSmog:
‘A Secretive Network Is Fighting Indigenous Rights in Australia and Canada, Expert Says. It’s all part of a global playbook from the U.S.-based Atlas Network to protect the profits of fossil fuel and mining companies, argues a Sydney researcher.’
https://www.desmog.com/2023/10/10/a-secretive-network-is-fighting-indigenous-rights-in-australia-and-canada-expert-says/
labor couldn’t even shame dutton and/or price the former said the voice gave Aboriginals, (notice the dignity of a proper noun, Totaram?) too much power and the latter said it gives us no power.
How dumb was that albo??
exitus scaena sinistram
It is time to cease this inhumane policy of jailing legal refugees because they came in boats and survived, while about 62,000 North Asian ”refugees” flew into Australia, possibly boosting QANTAS profits, and vanished into the workforce.
.
It is time to bring all the legal refugees to mainland Australia and provide housing, health services, language education and job opportunities for people who simply want to contribute to the Australian economy in peace.
.
The too many politicians supporting this allegedly Christian policy perhaps could learn from the Koran how to treat strangers in a strange land.
Lets just whisper this…
How many new migrants, ethnic minorities, and refugees voted no?
The numbers look disturbing.
Sorry, but “we’re” not better than that. Potato Head’s lies got traction because 60% of Australians that voted believed those lies. We’re the ones who believed Price and Mundine and the mainstream media and there’s a special mention for the fruitcakes who were convinced the Voice was the precursor to a UN takeover of Australia. Of that 60%, many were very likely swayed by Price’s regurgitation of the LNP lies. I know people who were convinced when the ever-risible Credlin got hold of the “secret Voice documents”, which she so boldly and deftly obtained through FOI and insisted the Uluru Statement was a cover for a far more comprehensive, insidious and deceptive indigenous plan. When I advised those poor deluded folk that Credlin is an idiot and she used FOI to obtain a document that is publicly and widely available, they weren’t convinced. How could the Yes side combat such abject insanity? When Langdon commented that the No campaign was founded on stupidity and racism, she was crucified Another of my acquaintances insisted that if the Constitution recognised the indigenous as the first Australians, why shouldn’t it also recognise Italians. How do you respond to that gibberish? I mean, the answer is that the Constitution was drafted by racist migrants, for migrants at a time when the Aboriginal was seen as a nomadic savage, but this was a campaign where lies won over truth. In theory, we now know much more now than our racist “founding fathers” knew 123years ago but “we” couldn’t use that knowledge to make a smart choice, so “we” stayed within the boundaries of our racist views and fell for Trump’esque lies and a slogan.
iftl, always excuses. The doc (the one page ‘Uluru Statement from the Heart’ was extracted from) cannot be dismissed so easily. As far as the Constitution goes, I’m happy to see it burned to the ground as long as something better replaces it.
Thanks for calling anyone who voted NO a racist, by the way. That defines the way forward, 60-70% of Aussies are racists because they are so stupid they didn’t want to sign a ‘blank cheque’ on undefined changes to the Constitution that would have tied the Courts up in legal battles for a decade. Perish the thought people can think for themselves, right?
I wonder at what point the media people are going to admit to themselves they cooked the goose. They were the de-facto advert wing of the YES and their connivance in pretending most Aussies supported Constitutional changes was nothing other than disinformation. MSM talked up expectations by exaggeration and now they’re walking it back by trying to claim NO voters are stupid racists. Good luck with endearing the average voter to your arguments with that attitude.
Has anyone ever wondered why rural and country voted the highest percent of NO? Could it be that they understand how corrupt the Land Councils are? Things need to change, FN people are disadvantaged and that’s a direct result of decades of inaction by both Labor & the LNP. I don’t know, call me crazy, maybe politicians should start listening.
Trev,
“Always excuses”? What are your excuses? Something about a “doc” from which the Uluru Statement was extracted cannot be dismissed so easily.
Who is dismissing it and why? And what has it got to do with the Constitution? Why do you want it to be burnt to the ground “as long as something better replaces it.” Any suggestions about “something better”?
You are right that not all who voted NO would be “racist” but you think they merely did not wish to “sign a ‘blank cheque’ on undefined changes to the Constitution that would have tied the courts up in legal battles for decades.”
You believe that bit about the courts being tied up, do you? And you think you can think for yourself? At the same time there has been so much written for years now about the Voice, but people do not read such books and if you do not know,all you have to do is say NO.
You say “MSM talked up expectations by exaggeration and now they’re walking it back by trying to claim NO voters are stupid racists.”
I thought the MSM was the medium which supported the No campaign. All the commercial media crowd, all day and every day.
So you have theory about why “rural and country voted the highest percentage of NO.” You think it is a matter of “corrupt Land Councils.” I know what you mean. Land Councils will will take over your back garden or the chook house.
So Far North people are disadvantaged, a direct result of decades of inaction by Labor and the LNP.
Gosh yes, the FN needs to be heard. They need to be the VOICE.
I believe I am well and truly across our legal and political history, and its processes. I also remain abreast of and research current legal and political issues as well as the industrial and social dimensions of Oz.
I am not surprised by the heading of Oz, and don’t like what I see.
I have been relatively wealthy from hard work, and have traveled the world and across most of Oz. Yet life’s circumstances arose to make me poor. I could perhaps join the cabal of the greedy, but I cannot forsake my principles. Therefore I remain poor.
I cannot afford to move towns, let alone move states or the country. So I remain at the mercy of Oz.
Oz, once a paradise, now a land increasingly abused by exploiters and fools.
Sadly the majority aren’t. They lack the proper critical thinking skills, to tell truth from lies.
The gullible masses, do not understand most important things. Especially on how government, Parliament and the like actually work.
Empty slogans work for the majority bogans.
Australia the ignorant country.
Teiresias, “Who is dismissing it and why?”
Labor & MSM insisted there was a one page document. The 26 page doc I refer to can be found here – malcolmrobertsqld.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/26-page-Doc-14-Uluru-Statement-from-the-Heart.pdf
“Any suggestions about “something better”?” Yes, something that includes a Bill of Rights that covers everyone.
“undefined changes to the Constitution that would have tied the courts up in legal battles for decades.” Yep
“I thought the MSM was the medium which supported the No campaign”.
I don’t watch that much TV these days but I did catch some news, it looked like an advert for YES. For example, one night the PM was in a public area being interviewed about The Voice, he was surrounded by a crowd of people with at least 20 YES placards in camera view, the PM was blah, YES, blah, YES, vote YES, blah, blah. A later segment showed the PM making an announcement unrelated to The Voice, again with YES placards in the background. One segment of the news showed a school oval with some students standing in the shape of YES. One news segment of about 2 seconds showed Dutton somewhere in public, the news voice-over ‘Dutton didn’t show up’. If it walked like and advertising duck for YES, it probably was.
I was thinking, in the next few weeks or months will Albanese step aside or get rolled or will he continue? Yesterday I thought he would walk. I saw only a part of his speech after the referendum and what I saw was a man speaking with some grace. I think his intentions are good but his advisers might just be sh*te.
Today I revisited the 26 page doc that includes the Uluru Statement. It was worth re-reading the whole thing but especially Pages 110 – 112, ie 3 Flowcharts titled Roadmap 1, Roadmap 2 & Roadmap 3.
Each Flowchart shows how govt can take a path to Voice, Truth-telling and Treaty/Treaties.
It looks like Roadmap 1 just crashed and burned on the 14th October 2023.
Not to worry, there are 2 more Roadmaps to get to where the UN wants this nation to be – divided and conquered, with ‘Commonwealth’ and possibly individual resources surrendered (after some nominal period of time in hands of FN peoples).
With the referendum fail, it looks like the next step is some kind of Joint Parliamentary agreement on a Makarrata Commission Bill, and then it is off to the races.
YES voters will get their wish and it will happen in about the same timeframe as this current NO route. Our elected leaders are working to a timetable. You can ask for further details of the timetable by contacting the UN directly (UNDRIP-1300), just don’t expect a straight answer.
You can check the ABC News article 19 May 2023 ‘Promise check: Establish a Makarrata Commission with responsibility for truth-telling and treaty with First Nations people’ to see if my thought train is on track.
A few other points in the Uluru doc are worth noting:
#2. Involves substantive, structural reform
“reform must be substantive . . . consistent with Article 3 of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples . . In addition, the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples provides that ‘Indigenous peoples have the right to the recognition, observance and enforcement of Treaties”
Funny how the public was told by Labor and MSM that The Voice referendum was a minor change to the Constitution and any mention of the UNDRIP was a conspiracy theory. You like the sound of “enforcement of a Treaties”, Treaties, that you as a voter will never be party to until after the ink has dried?
#3. Advances self-determination and the standards established under the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples “to freely determine their own affairs.”
Sounds like Aust gov of the day cannot impinge the freedom of The Voice [Corporation] to determine ‘their own affairs’?
Treaty
“Treaty would be the vehicle to achieve self-determination, autonomy and self-government.”
“self-government” sounds like there will be a nation within a nation.
The only question is ‘which nation will be within which nation?
Footnotes (excerpts from 157 & 158)
“Melbourne: There was a concern that the body could become a tokenistic process. Hence, it must be more than advisory and consultative. It needs powers of compliance and to be able to hold Parliament on account against the standards of the UNDRIP.
Support . . strengthen a Voice to Parliament to enable it to progress and protect a treaty process. . . could refer to Australia’s international obligation (e.g. UNDRIP) and acknowledge the sovereign position of Australia’s First Peoples and the crimes committed against the humanity.”
So, who is going to pay for the “crimes committed against the humanity”?
And shouldn’t that read as ‘crimes against humanity’; ‘humanity’ and ‘the humanity’ have completely different meanings.
One thing is for certain, the UN is very, very careful in drafting documents and someone from UNDRIP would have spotted that discrepancy and amended ASAP if required.