Australian
11/11/2010
Page: 14
By: Gary Johns
Section: General News
Region: Australia Circulation: 131246
Type: Australian National
Size: 646.00 sq.cms
Frequency: MTWTF
Page 1 of 2
REFERENDUM MUST NOT BE
USED TO SETTLE OLD SCORES
Any amendments to the Constitution to
recognise Aborigines should be minimalist
GARY JOHNS
led as it is by wholly integrated
Aborigines of mixed descent, is
desperate to have every Austra-
the movement of ethnicity from
the biological to the social realm.
lian recognise their culture.
The trouble is, Aboriginal cul-
it used to be.
This is fine, as long as no privi-
ture, in any sense in which the
leges arise from that identity.
Already we see the complaint
original inhabitants practised it, is
long gone. Elements of the orig-
Being an Aborigine just isn't what
from fair-skinned Aborigines that
inal that remain, such as poly-
they are being refused jobs re-
THE Gillard government's inten-
gamy and underage sex, are illegal
tion to discuss the wording of a
constitutional amendment to recognise Australians of Aboriginal
or, in the case of sorcery, re-
served for Aborigines. Those, who
because of their looks could never
origin provides the opportunity to
ask where we are headed in Abor-
just plain evil.
iginal affairs.
intermarriage rates at more than
70 per cent and most Aborigines
tics should not be used for people
seen by activists as a chance to
settle old scores, they had better
think again. The long-run trajec-
living in the cities and regions and
tory for Aborigines in Australia is
integration. The experiment with
separate development in the past
40 years has been a dismal failure.
more important, Aboriginal
than any other.
Be wary that the constitutional
amendment is not used to privilege those Aborigines who have
Should this amendment be
To appreciate the nihilism of
Aboriginal Australians sitting on
their land being fed by the Whitemanjust watch the film Samson 8,
Delilah. Two black kids sitting on
their land eating from tins, drink-
ing bore water and staring into
space is not much fun.
That does not mean there
has not been a flowering of the
talents of people of Aboriginal
descent, but do these people
warrant a special mention in the
Constitution?
To make up for this failure of
separatism, the Aboriginal lobby,
Copyright Agency Ltd (CAL) licenced copy.
emerging around places such as
Yuendumu and Groote Island, is
The fact is, with Aboriginal
fast integrating, the question of
identity is looking very thin. Much
identity and culture is a matter for
those who claim its ownership, it
should not be force-fed to the rest
of the nation. If children are to be
taught Aboriginal culture, I want
for them the full unexpurgated
version, not the pretty commem-
oration of recent invention that
one can pick up on the bookshelf
at the ABC shop or a university
politics department.
The census question "What is
this person's racial origin?" has not
been asked since 1971. Since then
the census has asked, "Is the person of Aboriginal or Torres Strait
origin?" As has been observed
across the Anglo settler countries,
growth in census numbers reflects
have suffered prejudice, are denied the assistance specifically
meant for those who may have
suffered prejudice. Identity poli-
who suffer no prejudice greater
made it in the modern world, in
the name of those who have not.
Here are my suggestions for the
committee considering the constitutional amendment.
The present preamble to the
Australian Constitution begins:
"Whereas the people have agreed
to unite in one indissoluble Fed-
eral Commonwealth under the
Constitution hereby established."
We could add the words:
"Whereas those who came to Australia after the act of settlement by
the Crown of the United Kingdom
of Great Britain and Ireland recognise that this land was first settled by Aboriginal people."
Ref: 00082760889
Australian
11/11/2010
Page: 14
By: Gary Johns
Section: General News
Region: Australia Circulation: 131246
Type: Australian National
Size: 646.00 sq.cms
Frequency: MTWTF
Page 2 of 2
Such minimal treatment is not
to diminish the Aboriginal people;
rather, it is to understand that no
one receives a mention in the Aus-
tralian Constitution. It is also important to reinforce that setting up
a constant reiteration of "we were
here first" undermines the task
that every inhabitant of this land
has: to get on with it.
In the Constitution proper, section 25, which states, "if by the law
of any State all persons of any race
are disqualified from voting at
elections", thankfully no longer
applies and should be removed.
Perhaps section 51. xxvi, "The
people of any race, for whom it is
deemed necessary to make special
laws", should remain, although
the suggestion by Mick Gooda,
the Aboriginal and Torres Strait
Islander Social Justice Commissioner, that this power has
been used to discriminate against
Aboriginal people is laughable.
A statement in the preamble
that recognises the original inhabitants is all that Australians
will agree to.
Any amendments that acknowledge a special relationship
with the land or the culture will invite critical scrutiny.
The nonsense that was forced
through the Victorian and ACT
parliaments in various acts of
rights and responsibilities by
Labor (and some Liberal) dream-
ers will not pass muster at a
referendum.
If you want a large yes vote at
the referendum, the amendment
must be minimalist.
iiJ
Early next year Gary Johns will
publish Aboriginal SelfDetermination: The Whiteman's
Dream Turns Sour.
Copyright Agency Ltd (CAL) licenced copy.
Ref: 00082760889