“The Morrison government must not hold a referendum which would ask Australians to divide themselves by race”, said Daniel Wild, Director of Research with the free market think tank the Institute of Public Affairs.
Recent calls to amend the Constitution to enshrine an “Indigenous Voice” to Parliament have been made by a small number of large corporations, sections of the media, and the political class.
“Calls to insert race into our nation’s founding document are retrograde, divisive, and illiberal. Race has no place in Australia’s Constitution.”
“Indigenous Australians and non-Indigenous Australians are all first and foremost Australians who share a common county, legal system, and destiny.”
“The suggestion that the ‘voice’ could be confined to issues affecting Indigenous Australians is fundamentally incoherent – all policy is Indigenous policy decisions because Indigenous Australians are Australians.”
“The dignity of Indigenous Australians demands that they be treated the same as non-Indigenous Australians, which means being included and represented in a common national body: the Australian Parliament.”
“In the 1967 referendum 91% of Australians voted to change the Constitution to remove references to race. Now, 52 years later it appears both major political parties want to put race back into the Constitution.”
“Even just asking Australians to divide themselves by race will divide Australia along racial lines forever.”
“All Australians deserve access to the dignity of work, safe communities, stable families, home ownership, high quality education, and economic opportunity. These pillars support human flourishing, regardless of skin colour,” said Mr Wild.
For media and comment: Daniel Wild, Director of Policy; Morgan Begg, Research Fellow, via
Evan Mulholland, Director of Communications, on 0405 140 780, or at [email protected]
