There is no mention of forgiveness! (Forgiveness is all the way through it. The process of Voice, Treaty, Truth, and Makarrata are the elements of our processes for restorative justice and forgiveness, There are no words of demand or blame. It simply seeks, asks, invites to go for a walk to bring about a better future for our nation – i.e. everybody who lives here) Quite the contrary. It is further indictment of the government of Australia, and the revelation of the extent of the power grab some aboriginal leaders feel justified in making! (Completely baffled as to how you get this put of the document.)
I won’t do what some Facebook commentators do and say ‘Have you read it?’ (I have done 110 sessions on it, read it many times, written academic papers on it, and interrogated from my First People’s perspective – Yes, I have read it but I suspect with a different worldview as my starting point.)
But listen to what it says:
- We have the sovereign right to own Australia, by ancestry. (No, to be in relationship with it as we have always been because we here as the original people)
- We own the land and have never recognised its ownership by, or the authority of, the Australian National Government. (That’s because it was gained illegally and there was no treaty to cede or share ownership as was the international law at the time. Until that happens, it remains ours.)
- The land is ours as our Creator, mother, with whom we are indivisibly united spiritually. (Yes. And remain so.) We own (we live in relationship with it, not own it as property) it as our god (our mother, not god), as we belong to it. (are one with it as we rely on it and it relies on us). We have a divine right (no, we have always shared it with all the various nations and are happy to share it now if we are treated as equals) to it, and you must recognise this, on our terms. (Simply recognise it would be a good start. Terms to be discussed when we do a treaty like all other major Western democracies have negotiated)
- We do not recognise the authority of the Australian Justice System. (Not true but we believe there are better ways to deal with issues). We are not a(n innately) criminal people but are helpless victims of unjust incarceration for which the government is to blame. (where do we say that?)
- We want the ‘voice’ to get constitutional power to govern our own minority race (the first peoples of this land) by our own laws and determine our own destiny as a separate nation (no, not our intention at all – where does that come from?) by what we think will be better for us to live in our country (at the ever greater expense of others we condemn) (No, we are seeking to be recognised as equals in the constitution and have an advisory body with no power to veto or legislate. If done properly the economic benefit will be positive for all. )and tell our story the way we want it heard and accepted, regardless of anyone else’s truth, justice, (unfortunately our story has always been told through another’s lens, this is simply balancing the story) and rights to live in this country as theirs equally and fairly.
What true Australian citizen of our multi-cultural nation, could ever agree with THAT? (Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders have been multi-cultural for some 60,000 years, Australia less than 60 years due to the White Australia Policy which continued until 1975)