We don’t even have a referendum date for the “Indigenous Voice”, nor draft legislation, not even a government policy proposal — and already, the un-elected troughers of the Aboriginal Industry are telling the elected government what to do.
Remember, these are the same people telling us, “it’s just an advisory body, it won’t have any real power”. Yet, without even the pretence of democratic legitimacy, it’s cracking the whip at the government elected by Australians (well, 32% of them, anyway).
Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus, who tried to water down the proposed Indigenous voice to parliament’s power to advise the executive government, has been rebuked by Aboriginal leaders in the government’s own referendum working group.
The Australian has been told by sources inside the working group meeting in Canberra on Thursday that Mr Dreyfus suggested an alternative to the use of “executive government” in the proposed constitutional amendment to enshrine the voice and several members of the working group thought his actions “overreach”.
That’s right: the elected highest law-maker of the land is being unceremoniously put in his box by a faceless Star Chamber of unelected activists.
And that’s before they’ve even got the Constitution behind them.
In its draft form, the proposed constitutional amendment that Australians will vote on later this year says the voice “may make representations to parliament and the executive government on matters relating to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples”.
The referendum working group is set to lock in behind the “executive government” clause but it has become a growing political problem for Labor, with Liberal MPs and lawyers who support the principle of the voice pushing back. Critics of the executive government clause argue it should be removed to limit the scope for legal challenges.
So, it will have the power to tell parliament what to do.
The Albanese government is not required to follow the advice of the referendum working group on either the question or the constitutional amendment but the government formed the group last September for the purpose of asking its advice.
Which sounds exactly like a voice to parliament — tell me again why we need to fiddle with the Constitution?
Because they want the power to drag the elected government through the courts and before activist judges, on a whim.
Marcia Langton, a member of the referendum working group and a longtime advocate for the voice, told The Australian on Wednesday: “Advice of the voice must be litigable.”
The Australian
In other words, she’s demanding to be able to drag the government through the courts if it doesn’t bow to her wishes.
Without a blush of embarrassment, Langton babbles her usual bullshit accusations of “racism”. The spear in your own eye: we’re not the ones demanding to insert explicit racial separatism in the Constitution.
We can see who the real racists are, here.
But, of course, “racism” is the only argument power-hungry race-baiters have. If, as seems likely, the referendum deservedly fails, you can bet your arse they’ll be bellowing “racism” for all they’re worth.
So much for a “unifying moment”.