We, the undersigned
residents of South Australia, say no to the creation of an Indigenous Voice to
the SA Parliament.
We oppose the Voice
because it contravenes the democratic principle of an equal say for all
citizens in the Parliament. The Voice gives some South Australians a second
vote for advocates who can address Parliament, while other electors do not have
that opportunity. This denies voters the principle of one vote, one value,
which is the foundation of an egalitarian democracy.
The Voice to the SA
Parliament preferences one group of people over another on the basis of race.
Not only will members of the Voice be able to directly address Parliament, but
the proposal also sees them addressing department CEOs and other key officials
directly. This means indigenous people will have direct access to some of the
most powerful people in SA, purely by virtue of racial background. This kind of
discrimination is wrong and it is immoral.
It is
institutionalized racism and we will not stand for it. The only impact it can
possibly have is to ignite racial tension, which will have disastrous
consequences for SA. We reject this backward step and we are united in
supporting a truly fair political process for all South Australians.
The Voice also
fails to address the deep-seated issues facing indigenous people in South
Australia. While it provides 12 individuals with well-paid taxpayer funded
jobs, it does not directly address crime, educational deficiencies, domestic
violence and a host of other issues disproportionately represented in
majority-Aboriginal communities.
We believe that
this funding should instead be directed to areas of the greatest need where
real solutions are overseen, wherever possible, in partnership with the elders
of that community.
As a result of the
serious issues and outright racial discrimination inherent in the Voice
proposal, we ask that you withdraw this proposal and instead focus on uniting
this state and working with affected communities to create real, structural
change.
