On The Young IPA Podcast this week, James, Pete and Simon discussed Indigenous Recognition in the Constitution. Here’s what Simon had to say:
- “We think that equality means people should be treated the same under the Constitution”
- “It’s really important that principles we put in [The Constitution] are ones that stand the test of time. I think the idea that we could put words in that are relevant to the policy challenges we face, like for instance the difficult situation that Indigenous people face in remote areas of Australia, I just think is a really strange idea.”
- “I hate this idea that only Indigenous people can represent other Indigenous people. If Indigeneity, or race, or ethnicity is the number one – or going even further than that – the sole factor behind why you would make political decisions or policy decisions, that’s really worrying to me. And that sort of thing, I think, should be rejected outright by the Parliament.
- Proponents of Indigenous Recognition “are simplifying individual human beings to being members of a group, and in a lot of ways having…the same ideas. This idea that people, because of their ethnic background, are all going to feel the same way about any issue coming before the Parliament is just bizarre.”
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