Indigenous Australians Minister Linda Burney promises ‘practical outcomes’ for the Voice but scant on detail

Indigenous Australians Minister Linda Burney urged the Albany and Great Southern community to vote Yes in the upcoming referendum on the Voice to Parliament during a two-day visit. Ms Burney’s first stop on a regional tour of WA saw her arrive in Albany on Tuesday to meet various Indigenous leaders from the area, including representatives of the Southern Aboriginal Corporation and Wagyl Kaip Southern Noongar Aboriginal Corporation. On Tuesday night, she was joined by Albany MLA Rebecca Stephens for an event promoting the benefits of an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Voice to Parliament and on Wednesday morning she hosted a round table meeting with the region’s Indigenous elders. She said it was the first time she had visited the “absolutely beautiful” Albany and it was an “incredibly important place to be” as the first point of contact between Aboriginal people and Europeans in WA. She said the Voice to Parliament would mean practical outcomes to the issues she had been hearing about during the visit, but she was unable to specify how the Voice would help Indigenous people in the Great Southern and only provided examples of more general issues. “I’ve been hearing about incarceration, I’ve been hearing about issues to do with drugs and alcohol, I’ve been hearing about issues to do with family safety,” she said. “The Voice will have a direct impact because people, like the people I’m with today, will get a direct say in what is happening in Aboriginal affairs in Australia.” When asked if she was concerned recent discussions about changes to the Aboriginal Cultural Heritage Act would impact the referendum campaign, Ms Burney stated clearly that “cultural heritage is a matter for State Government” but that she hoped the new legislation would ensure an incident like Juukan Gorge - where two ancient rock shelters were destroyed - would “never ever happen again”. Wagyl Kaip chair Jeanice Krakouer added that she encouraged members of the community to “gather as much information as you can” about the Act and “sit down and respect each other.” “I’d just like to say that it’s probably creating a lot of confusion amongst our community, and I’m not just saying the Aboriginal community, I’m talking about the community in general.” “I don’t think our community has got anything to be fearful of.” During Ms Burney’s visit, representatives from WKSNAC took the opportunity to show off some of the parcels of land that are being offered to the group as part of the native title determination. They include one that stretches between Frenchman’s Bay and Albany’s Historic Whaling Station. “I’ve been hearing about the amazing Noongar native title determination, I’ve learnt about the history of that way back as far as 2003 and even further I’m sure,” Ms Burney said. “It’s an incredible outcome, not just for Western Australia, but for the country.” Following her visit to Albany, Ms Burney will travel to Port Hedland, Yule River and Kununurra before returning to the State on polling day saying she wanted to become an “honourable Sandgroper” by the end of the campaign. She said she was not deterred by polling that suggested WA had one of the lowest levels of support for the Yes vote as there are “many months to polling day and it really is about getting the message out”. “When you sit down and talk to people about what it means for our people to have a direct say in outcome in policy and legislation, people come to understand why it’s important,” she said. “But the most important thing is that it will be an independent advisory body that will be made up of Aboriginal people from the grassroots, that’s what is crucial.” She said she could not clarify how the grassroots members would be determined because it was “being worked through now”. “There is a process after the referendum that will involve consultations with people like the Noongar to make sure what we build is a reflection of what Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people want, and what is going to serve those communities the best,” she said. “What’s good for Western Australia might be different to Queensland and they’re the nuances that we need to reflect.” Australians will go to the polls later this year to answer yes or no to the referendum question: “A Proposed Law: to alter the Constitution to recognise the First Peoples of Australia by establishing an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice. Do you approve this proposed alteration?” A date for the referendum has yet to be set.