A third perspective on the upcoming Indigenous Voice to Parliament has released an essay.
The Blak Sovereign Movement (BSM), a group made up of elders, community workers, activists and Independent Senator Lidia Thorpe have released a formal statement on the proposed Indigenous Voice.
In their essay, the movement argues, grassroots organisations have never called for a voice to parliament, and have been calling for an official treaty instead.
“For decades we have been calling for land rights, Treaty, Truth-telling and an end to the colonial violence inflicted on our people.
The decades of resistance, the protests, the time, the suffering, the pain were not, are not, and will never be in pursuit of a powerless advisory body or constitutional recognition.”
Instead the BSM offered an alternative to the voice.
“The Voice to Parliament and constitutional recognition are not the only options on the table.
There has been a long-standing invitation for settlers to engage in a Truth-telling process, to
support us in defending our land and children, and to recognise our Sovereignty.
The invitation still stands and you can respond right now”
The group also published a rebuttal to claims made by both the ‘Yes’ and ‘No’ campaigns who had their argument’s published on the AEC’s website on Tuesday.
In the document, the group responded to claims made by the ‘Yes’ campaign that The Voice will “Ensure people will have a better life.”
“A powerless advisory body is nothing new and recent history has proven it will make no
difference.
The government’s examples of ‘Listening Works’ are not examples of an advisory
body being listened to and a government acting on that advice, they are examples of
self-determination,” the response says.
The BSM also goes after claims made by the ‘No’ campaign, including a point that the proposed advisory will, “open the door for activists.”
“If only! In this section the conservative No camp repeats its racist assumption that Australia is
united and denies the existence of Sovereignty.
It is a powerless advisory body and those that support it are not activists, they are asking for a seat at the coloniser’s table.”
The full statements can be read here.
Image Credit: Senator Lidia Thorpe Via Twitter
