The key first step is to put to the Referendum Committee the proposal for a voice in the federal parliament with the body carrying that voice to be enshrined in the Constitution. This body is to be consulted by the government of the day on any legislative matters pertaining to indigenous Australians. The Referendum Committee will make the detailed recommendation to the government about the structure and functions of the Voice body.
The next step is to look at the idea of a Treaty or Treaties. It seems that the latter is the likely recommendation such that a Treaty will be negotiated with each of the indigenous nations within Australia. We were reminded of the major land rights decision for the Noongar peoples of the South West of WA as negotiated with the Western Australian government as a sort of model for this Treaty process. The difficulty it was felt would be to identify the various indigenous nations especially those which disappeared as such over the years.
As the Q&A TV show progressed I was surprisingly taken aback by the complications of the whole situation. I hope it is not so complicated that the Australian people as a whole will shrug and give up on what is a momentous occasion in our history.
May the Force be with us!
GD
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