By Viv Forbes ——Bio and Archives--October 3, 2023
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Australian politicians are promoting a divisive and racist change to our constitution - the creation of an indigenous "Voice" with undefined powers. "Indigenous" means "born here", so most of us are indigenous. And for all of us, our earliest Australian ancestors came from somewhere else. To divide indigenous Australians on the basis of skin colour or length of ancestry is more about politics than about justice. We are all Australians and constitutional changes that promote apartheid policies should be rejected.
Australia is now home to Aboriginals, Islanders, English, Scottish, Irish, Welsh, Dutch, Italian, German, Scandinavians, Melanesians, Greeks, Kiwis, Afghans, Africans and others. Most have made permanent homes here. All who embrace Australian citizenship and obey Australian law should be treated equally before the law.
People identifying as Aboriginals already have eleven voices in federal Parliament - more than justified by their numbers in the population. Moreover, huge government departments and billions of dollars are already representing aboriginal interests. The Voice will create another layer of race-based bureaucrats, and delay every significant political decision. Despite having "native title" to far more land per head of population than most other Australians, many aboriginals live in degraded communal enclaves with poor community protection, especially for women and children. They need individual freehold titles not communal titles controlled by bureaucrats, academics and politicians.
Many Australians distrust proposals supported by big government, big business, trade unions and the ABC.
Ordinary Australians are continually insulted by being "welcomed" to events by people stomping around in red nappies, blowing smoke and making drainpipe noises. Most of these ceremonies are modern inventions. We do not need to be welcomed to our own country.
For these and many other reasons I will be voting "NO".
Viv Forbes has spent much of his long life in grazing, exploration and mining in outback QLD and NT. He has visited mission stations and employed aboriginal people. He learned first-hand how the Claimant Industry delays everything and enriches lawyers on both sides. He believes that "The Voice" would make things far worse for Australians.
I am voting "No" because this proposal is going in the wrong direction and is serving other agendas.
There are many reasons to vote NO:
1. No humans evolved in Australia - the pioneers all came from somewhere else, usually on things that floated. And rock art in the Kimberlies and other relics tell us that the current aboriginals were not the first humans to occupy this land.
2. Despite having "native title" to far more land per head of population than all other Australians, tribal aboriginals often live in degraded communal enclaves with poor community protection especially for women and children. They need individual freehold titles not communal title.
3. We need to question closely anything promoted so strongly by their ABC, QANTAS plus big banks, big business, big miners, the bureaucracy, the ALP/Green/Teal coalition and the Communist Party.
4. Political power should not be granted to one race of Australians - Australia is now home to Aboriginals, Islanders, English, Scottish, Irish, Welsh, Dutch, Italian, German, Scandinavians, Melanesians, Greek, Kiwis, Afghans and Africans, plus other Europeans, Asians, and Africans. Most have made permanent homes here. All who embrace Australian citizenship should be treated equally before the law.
5. This Voice proposal would make a permanent racial division in Australia. But how will the favoured race be continually identified? Will the chosen people or the more recent "invaders" need to be tattooed? Or will DNA evidence be needed to prove racial identity?
6. People identifying as Aboriginals already have more representation inParliament than their numbers would justify. They already have severalvoices.
7. Huge government departments and billions of dollars are already representing aboriginal interests, but their conditions do not improve.
8. We have noted how some Australians are already being banned from certain tourist spots, private landowners feel threatened by the relentless advance of "Native Title", and explorers find Sacred sites and Rainbow Serpents appearing on promising mineral discoveries and along infrastructure sites and routes.
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9. We are continually annoyed to be "welcomed" to every big event by people stomping around in red nappies, blowing smoke and making drainpipe noises. Most of these ceremonies are modern inventions. We do not need to be welcomed to our own country
10. We note with annoyance that place names are being changed suddenly and without warning or consultation. Imagine what is in store for names like Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria, Brisbane, Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaid and Cooktown. Or King George Square? And what about the nation of "Australia" that was created in 1901? Already the red and black flag is being flown next to the Australian Flag.
Next the statues will start to fall.
11. Their ABC has managed to alienate every bit of land as "land of the XXX People". That has just alienated the rest of us.
12. There never was "an aboriginal nation" - just many tribes each subject to unwritten tribal law. Will the Voice be called to adjudicate tribal disputes?
13. We are already seeing certain books that report inconvenient history or anthropological records are disappearing from public libraries. Will the Voice be deciding what we are allowed to read?
14. "The Voice" would soon be clamouring for treaties, reparations and seizure of more lands. However, Aboriginals would not get individual freehold titles - just communal ownership where some elders control everything. Property owned by everyone is cared for by no one.
15. The most recent aboriginal migrants brought their dogs (dingoes) toAustralia. They are now protected in many areas. But our horses, donkeys, sheep, cattle, camels and buffalo are "ferals" to be eliminated.
16. Giving a special "Voice" to people of a certain skin colour or genetic history will just promote everlasting division and hatred. It aims to separate and give special privileges to certain people and their descendants forever.
17. We must VOTE NO.
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Viv Forbes, Chairman, The Carbon Sense Coalition, has spent his life working in exploration, mining, farming, infrastructure, financial analysis and political commentary. He has worked for government departments, private companies and now works as a private contractor and farmer.
Viv has also been a guest writer for the Asian Wall Street Journal, Business Queensland and mining newspapers. He was awarded the “Australian Adam Smith Award for Services to the Free Society” in 1988, and has written widely on political, technical and economic subjects.