I came, I saw, I promised

  

Australian Capital Territory Legislative Assembly and the statue Ethos (Tom Bass, 1961) Photo taken by Adz, 11 August 2005

If elections bore you, you can change that. An election is one of the few times we get to interact with our democracy and are allowed to have a say in it. Elections should encourage us, but they don’t. 

Why? Because we get the same thing every time from the major parties. Promises, promises, promises that mean nothing; unless you are gullible enough to fall for them. 

The title of this article does not carry the same weight as Veni, Vidi, Vici. This is the Latin phrase attributed to Julius Caesar that boastfully states, I Came, I Saw, I Conquered. Imagine that today, a politician saying what they meant and did. With most politics today, there’s no weight to it, just promises. 

So, what’s a voter to do? If you are unhappy with politics as usual, and you don’t like any of the major parties, you can either start a party of your own or look to a minor party. 

In the coming A.C.T. election, many minor parties are running. The minor parties know they are going to struggle to get your vote because it’s hard for them to get noticed. They don’t have the budgets of the major two parties. But, the minor parties can make a major difference in how this territory is run. The minor parties can hold the government accountable, and they can better represent Canberrans and their concerns. 

As a member of the Canberra Progressives, I’ve seen firsthand how this party operates. They don’t have social or political ideologies as Liberal and Labour do; they have values. Their principles are ethics over influence, evidence over opinion, and collaboration over collusion. 

If you are sick and tired of complaining at the news every time you hear a new government decision that you don’t agree with or see some ex-party member getting a cushy “job for the boys”, then in the coming election you have a chance to do something about that. You can change these things, but you have to vote for a minor party. Hoping that a major party is going to change their ways and do what you think is right is not going to happen. Major parties are for the party and not for the people. 

A minor party could hold the balance of power in the A.C.T. assembly. For members who sit on the crossbench, a deciding vote can come down to them. They can put forward policies. They can give you a voice inside the government and not just at election time. 

The Canberra Progressives have 7 candidates in 3 electorates: Kurrajong, Murrumbidgee and Yerrabi. If you put them first on the ballot paper this election, you will see the difference that a minor party can make for you. 

So, instead of being bored by elections, get involved, get interested because it’s your future that is going to be decided by elections. It’s your money governments will be spending. Governments get to have a large say over your life and they can make it better or worse. What do you want?

The ABC and Me and You

 

The Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) has been with me my whole life. I’ve been listening to ABC radio since I was a baby. My parents always had ABC radio on; classical music and local ABC radio were on the whole day in our house. At night we sat down to watch ABC news and programs on television. The ABC filled our house with the arts, education, news, and entertainment; it still fills my life.

For me, and many other Australians and people in our neighbouring region, the ABC is vital. Because it provides services, information, education, and entertainment that are not accessible from anywhere else in the world.

I’ve been lucky enough over the years to have worked with a few people from the ABC. My first collaboration with the ABC was in 2003. PoeticA, was a National Radio program that ran from 1997 to 2015. It provided a weekly resource of poetry readings and happenings from around Australia and the world. PoeticA was like a religion to most Australian poets and poetry lovers. The poet and presenter Mike Ladd and producer Krystyna Kubiak were the heart of PoeticA. They were both wonderful and helpful people to work with.

The program, Ekphrasis, that I organised with PoeticA, aired on Saturday 22 February 2003 at 3:00 PM. You can listen to that program here, of course, copyright restrictions apply to all content.

The second time the ABC and I developed a program was again, for PoeticA. This time the program was about all things poetically Astronomical.  Here’s the ABC blurb, “A feature on the poetry of the cosmos including classical works as well as poems by contemporary Australian writers. Based on an idea by Robert Kennedy, the program grew out of a project called “A Poetic Journey Into the Cosmos”, a series of readings held last year at Sydney Observatory”. They aired Astronomical on Saturday 27 March 2004 at 3:00 PM.

When I was in my early 20s, the ABC took on an all-encompassing presence in my life. I was hooked. I couldn’t get enough of what the ABC offered. It seemed there was, and still is, something for everyone. I listen to and watched almost everything that the ABC produced. The ABC had me hooked even from an early age. If you grew up in the 1970s, Countdown was a music program that had to be watched. I never missed a show.

One of the things I love most about the ABC is Radio National (RN). Today they have more than 60 programs. I specifically loved the program Airplay, which aired on what is now known as RN. Unfortunately, this program is no longer broadcast, but it provided so many great Australian and international radio plays and offered the first voice to a large number of current Australian actors. Airplay broadcast from 1997 to 2013.

Before Airplay there was The Sunday Play on what was then called ABC Radio 2, or 2FC, which stood for Farmer and Company. That was the original owner of the station before the ABC took it over. Back in the early 1980s, the ABC used to produce a guide just for their radio stations. It cost 40 cents. I kept a few copies which you can see in the picture in this post. I gather they are worth a bit more today.

You will see in the photo above how I used to highlight in red the programs that I wanted to record. The rest I usually heard live.

The mellow toned voice of Jaroslav Kovaricek presented two of my most cherished ABC programs. These were Dreamtime and Innerspace. I recorded over 100 broadcasts because the music was so unique. I heard sounds that could not be found in almost any other place. I still use these recordings every week when I need some headspace relaxation time. The music on Dreamtime has inspired me to write many of my compositions.

Jaroslav Kovaricek produced hundreds of Dreamtime programs; over 500 from memory. Innerspace never ran for that long but offered a new sound experience. I recorded only a few of those. Unfortunately, there is almost no record of either of these programs today anywhere. I may be the only person that has recordings of these amazing soundscapes.

Other than the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), there is nothing like the ABC on this planet. I can’t imagine living without the ABC. Yet, the ABC might soon be gone.

Successive Liberal governments have been trying to kill off the ABC. They want to see it gone because, in the words of former Liberal party leader and former Australian Prime Minister, Tony Abbott, they (the ABC) are not on team Australia. The hard right of the Liberal party wants the ABC to be sold off to private interests. Why? Because according to these people, the ABC does not represent their ideology.

If you don’t know what the Liberal party ideology is, just take a look at the state of imbalance, greed, political spin and lies pushed out by this unaccountable government. It’s sad to say, many people in Australia want to see the ABC gone too. They believe the Liberal party spin and follow them blindly.

If you don’t want to see the ABC sold off, or dismantled, you should do something about it. Write to your local member and ask them to increase ABC funding so it can be maintained. They need to be able to go on to provide the necessary programs that they have been creating for almost 100 years.

If you don’t want the ABC gone, start talking to your friends and relatives about how you, and they can save this national treasure. Because the ABC is as important as Uluru, the Sydney Opera House, and the Great Barrier Reef - just imagine all these treasures gone. 

Indigenous Constitutional Recognition

 

The National Indigenous Australian Agency says, (2019, p.1) “The Australian Government is committed to recognising Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians in the Constitution.”

This suggested commitment has come about due to other countries that have moved to recognise their indigenous peoples in their constitutions and through treaties. It is also due to growing support from indigenous and non-indigenous people and groups across Australia over many years.

Michelle Grattan said (2019, p.1) “The Morrison government plans to hold a referendum in the next three years on whether to enshrine constitutional recognition of Australia’s Indigenous people”.

Reconciliation Australia CEO, Karen Mundine said that the news of the constitutional recognition announcement is (2019, p. 3) “a step in the right direction”.

However, there are groups and people who oppose the constitutional recognition of indigenous people for a variety of reasons. Oliver Milman of the Guardian said that according to the Naidoc lifetime achievement award winner Tauto Sansbury, (2015, p.3) “I’d say 60% to 70% of Aboriginal people are interested in treaties rather than constitutional change”.

Some conservative members of parliament and people in the news media are resisting the change for an indigenous voice in parliament.  Former Deputy Leader of the Liberal party Barnaby Joyce suggested that a new voice in parliament would cause a third chamber. Rosemary Bolger of the SBS reported (2019, p.1) that Joyce later retracted his statement and apologised saying that he got it wrong.

Most states and territories identify indigenous people in their constitutions. Indigenous Australians are recognised in the NSW constitution, (2010) but only in the preamble. However, these changes do not allow for any specific legal or political rights. They do not include land rights or reduce discrimination, which would help to make our First Nations people feel more included and respected in their own country.

Essential Media Communications took a poll in (2019) which shows that most Australians want indigenous recognition in our constitution and for them to have a voice in parliament.

My position on this issue is that any change is unlikely. I base this on the fact that the Morrison Government have only offered a plan for a referendum in the next three years and have not created a system that will produce a definite outcome. This shows that they are not as committed to recognising Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians as they say they are.

There have been years of inaction on this subject from all governments. It is likely that only upon being forced into action by the Australian people will the Morrison Government move towards recognising indigenous peoples in the constitution. But as this matter is not consistently at the forefront of the mainstream media or in public debate, it is difficult to maintain momentum on this issue.

Because of the lack of passion and commitment from the present and past governments towards indigenous recognition, this has created doubt about what the effects of recognition will mean to all Australian people. The social, financial and possible governmental changes that might occur because of constitutional change has many people and parliamentary members worried.

There are fears and uncertainty around this proposed change because issues on this subject have not been clarified by anyone from either side of the debate. Mainly because no one can decide what the issues might be, regardless of all the past reports and studies. As there is no clear path or plan for indigenous recognition, this makes it look all too difficult and confusing for the Australian people, so they might vote against the reforms.

It is clear from polling that the majority of Australian’s want indigenous recognition. However, the figures are not so one-sided in favour of a change. As of September 2016, only 57 per cent of Australians polled are in favour of the change. As shown in the Essential Media Communications poll. (2019)

The Minister for Indigenous Australians, Ken Wyatt who is tasked with leading a national debate on indigenous recognition now says that Australians will not be asked whether they want to see an indigenous voice in parliament if the referendum happens in the next three years.

This statement from Wyatt reported by Paige Taylor from the Australian (2019, p.1) adds more confusion to the debate that the Australian people thought they were having on this subject. This could create a backlash among the wider indigenous community as it appears that concerned voices and groups have not been consulted about this decision.

While the Federal Labor Party has not been vocal on this subject, they are now pushing for an indigenous voice in parliament. Fergus Hunter of The Sydney Morning Herald reports that Labor's Indigenous Australians spokesperson Linda Burney says, "Doors that [Mr Morrison] has already shut can be reopened." (2019, p. 8)

The fact that other countries have recognised their indigenous peoples in their constitutions and can live in social harmony shows that the same can be achieved in Australia. If Australia’s indigenous peoples are recognised in the constitution and they get to have a voice in parliament like other countries, this would most likely lead to greater social harmony between all Australians.

If these reform proposals do get voted upon and are passed, it could also improve the social balance and understanding between Australians. Recognition would help Australia’s indigenous peoples self-determination and decision-making around issues that directly affect them. (Davis, M 2015)

If they vote the proposed reforms down, or, it never actually gets up, not only might the debate never happen again, it could further increase the social tension of Australian society and deteriorate the rights and hopes of our indigenous peoples. This reform could help our indigenous population and all Australians to better understand one another. It could help increase social cohesion while benefiting our country in ways that are yet to be realised.

Reference List

Bolger, R 2019, Barnaby Joyce admits he was wrong to call Indigenous voice a 'third chamber', SBS, Crows Nest NSW, viewed 29 August 2019, https://www.sbs.com.au/news/barnaby-joyce-admits-he-was-wrong-to-call-indigenous-voice-a-third-chamber

Davis, M 2015, ‘Indigenous constitutional recognition from the point of view of self-determination and its exercise through democratic participation’, Indigenous Law Bulletin, vol. 8, no.1, pp. 10-14. Essential Media Communications, 2019, Indigenous Recognition Referendum, Haymarket NSW, viewed 19 August 2019, https://www.essentialvision.com.au/indigenous-recognition-referendum

Grattan, M 2019, The Morrison government proposes an Indigenous recognition referendum this term, The Conversation, Parkville Vic, viewed 26 August 2019, http://theconversation.com/the-morrison-government-proposes-an-indigenous-recognition-referendum-this-term-119998

Hunter, F, 2019, 'Doors already shut can be reopened': Labor's plea for action on Indigenous voice, The Sydney Morning Herald, Sydney NSW, viewed 30 August 2019, https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/doors-already-shut-can-be-reopened-labor-s-plea-for-action-on-indigenous-voice-20190828-p52lom.html

Indigenous Australians recognised in NSW constitution 2010, video, ABC, Sydney, Juanita Phillips (Host); Kristina Keneally (NSW Premier); Linda Burney (NSW Community Services Minister)

Milman, O 2015, Indigenous Australians want treaty, not constitutional recognition, says elder, The Guardian, Australia, viewed 18 August 2019, https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2015/jul/12/indigenous-australians-want-treaty-not-constitutional-recognition-says-elder 

National Indigenous Australians Agency 2019, Constitutional Recognition, Canberra ACT, viewed 15 August 2019, <www.niaa.gov.au/indigenous-affairs/constitutional-recognition> 

Reconciliation Australia 2019, Constitutional recognition announcement a positive step towards reconciliation, Canberra ACT, viewed 27 August 2019, https://www.reconciliation.org.au/constitutional-recognition-announcement-a-positive-step-towards-reconciliation/ 

Taylor, P 2019, Wyatt rules out indigenous voice in people poll, The Australian, Surry Hills NSW, viewed 17 August 2019, https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/wyatt-rules-out-indigenous-voice-in-people-poll/news-story/60672a9a4b05f1b80805abc671ca6e96