Category: Uncategorised

By Viv Forbes

My wife and I were both born in Australia, as were two children and four grandchildren. Our parents were born in Australia as were all of their parents. And some ancestors go back much further in this land.

I feel rage every time I have to sit through another patronising “welcome to country” charade, designed to make me feel an intruder in my own land. Indigenous history on this continent is the same as our family story – it just goes back a bit further.

The first aboriginals probably walked here over a land bridge and Europeans came later in sailing clippers. All caused displacement of prior inhabitants. They brought dingos which are now “protected” – we brought cattle, sheep, horses and ploughs which are increasingly condemned. They mined ochre, quartzite and basalt, which are now heritage sites – but our coal mines are widely condemned. They brought spears and boomerangs – we brought guns and swords.

Racial referenda, indigenous “Welcomes”, talk of Treaties and special land rights for some Australians just create and maintain division. How long before we are one people with the same rights and responsibilities?

Two centuries is surely time enough?

By Cliff Reece

The above is what Prime Minister Albanese and Indigenous Affairs Minister Linda Burney and their colleagues in government and all the ‘Yes’ vote activists are telling us is the full extent of the Uluru Statement from the Heart. They are trying to deceive voters into thinking that this is the full statement that the Prime Minister has referred to on numerous occasions and promised to implement “in full”.

However, the real Uluru Statement from the Heart most definitely comprises 26 pages. It is titled ‘Document 14’ and starts on page 87 of a much larger series of documents and continues without a break and in exactly the same format and print font until page 112 – that’s 26 pages! The major heading on page 87 states: ‘ULURU STATEMENT FROM THE HEART. All the following 25 pages have sub-headings only. It is clearly one document.

Following these 26 pages there are additional notes, record of meetings etc. that are obviously attachments. These are the pages Albanese referred to in his radio interview with Neil Mitchell at 3AW. He also stated during that interview that he had not read any of these pages – only the poster! As amazing as that is, he also went on to ask “Why would I?” suggesting there is nothing of importance to read.

Here is a short measured and eloquent statement by John Anderson on why you should vote “NO” in the Voice Referendum.