Why would we vote for something if they won’t even tell us what it is?
The proposed Indigenous Voice to Parliament is not a "Voice". It is shaping up to look more like a separate Indigenous parliament, part of the constitution, entrenched in Australia's political life. It will only serve to create division and widen a gap that the rest of us would prefer to close. The Albanese Government is circumventing democracy by refusing to release details of their proposal prior to the referendum. Preferring instead to commit millions of taxpayer dollars to funding the “yes” campaign. This will create a new dividing line between Indigenous and non-Indigenous people, and there is no need for it.
Any new bureaucracy is a major cost burden for taxpayers and an Indigenous Voice to Parliament will be no different. It will be funded by taxpayers and will be paid for by all Australian taxpayers.
The cost of the voice is unknown, as are any concrete details of what such a voice might entail. The voice will require a new government department staffed with bureaucrats who are paid six-figure salaries – meaning that they’ll cost around $150k per year in salary alone (plus superannuation and other benefits). These bureaucrats will then spend hours writing policy documents and setting up committees to decide how the Indigenous Voice should work, before any money can actually go into helping Aboriginal communities.
In addition to these bureaucratic costs, there are also significant political costs associated with establishing a new agency like this one: namely that it risks further dividing society along racial lines (see: “dog whistle politics”), as well as creating resentment among non-indigenous Australians.
The proposal has caused outrage amongst many Australians as it circumvents democracy by not allowing voters any say over what, exactly, their representative body would look like. There is no information about how many members there will be or what power it will have – only that it will be “indigenous-led” and advise the House of Representatives on legislation affecting Aboriginal Australians.
We must fight for equality and meritocracy - not more political correctness and appeasement. This is our nation, built on the back of hard work, not handouts. We must uphold and protect its values. The Australian parliament already contains a number of intelligent and dedicated indigenous voices from all sides of politics.
We need to show our support for the principles of equality and meritocracy in Australia. That is what will make our country strong and united, not the creation of a new political class that imposes a separate set of rules on us all. The Australian Taxpayers’ Alliance urges you to vote against the idea of an Indigenous Voice or any other form of political correctness being imposed on our nation by politicians who have little to no experience in Aboriginal affairs.