Anthony Albanese has been accused by the ‘deeply concerned’ Uluru Statement co-authors of backflipping on a major promise made three years ago.
The Prime Minister was reminded of his 2022 election night commitment to implement the Uluru Statement from the Heart in full when he appeared on ABC’s Q+A show on Monday night.
He initially tried to sidestep the question when an Indigenous woman in the studio audience asked if the Labor government remained committed to the pledge.
‘We had a crack (with the Voice referendum),’ Mr Albanese replied.
‘It was out of conviction, not out of convenience. It wasn’t successful. That, for me, was unfortunate.’
Host Patricia Karvelas tried to draw him back to the valid question, saying ‘She asked if you were going to do the whole Uluru Statement.’
‘Well, we’ve heard the statement from the Australian people. It is very clear,’ Mr Albanese replied. ‘The Australian people had their say. In a democracy, you have to respect that, and I certainly do.’
Uluru Statement of the Heart co-authors Pat Anderson and Megan Davis have since slammed his refusal to commit to the rest of the statement, which would include a truth-telling commission and treaty.
Anthony Albanese (pictured) has been slammed by the co-authors of the Uluru statement for backflipping on his promise to implement the statement ‘in full’
The Uluru Statement is a one-page, 439 word document that called ‘for the establishment of a First Nations Voice enshrined in the Constitution’ – which was basis of the defeated referendum.
It also called for ‘a Makarrata Commission to supervise a process of agreement-making between governments and First Nations and truth-telling about our history’.
It’s these aspects that the Prime Minister is now being called out on abandoning.
The co-authors of the Uluru Statement described Mr Albanese’s comments were ‘deeply concerning’.
‘It is disappointing that the Prime Minister on Q&A has declared his government has broken its election promise and abandoned the Uluru Statement from the Heart in full,’ a joint statement read
‘Australians did not vote on the Uluru Statement from the Heart. Australians did not vote on Truth or Treaty. They voted on a voice to parliament enshrined in the constitution.’
Mr Albanese said the government needs ‘another direction’ and was now focused on the ‘economic empowerment’ of Indigenous Australians after the Voice referendum was defeated by 60 per cent to 40 in October 2023.
‘I don’t regret having a crack, having a go, fulfilling a commitment and giving Australians the opportunity to have their say,’ he said.
But Ms Anderson and Ms Davis argued that the rejection of changing the constitution to include the Voice shouldn’t affect other parts of the Uluru Statement.
‘It’s deeply concerning, as a constitutional and political matter for this country, that a negative vote on a singular constitutional amendment is being attributed as a ‘no’ to other non-constitutional policy issues,’ they said.
‘We understand how majoritarian liberal democracy works, and that is why it is vitally important for Australians to know that our people (Indigenous Australians) voted overwhelmingly YES to the Voice to Parliament.
‘The Prime Minister says he gave it a crack but there has been no Labor review into the Referendum. We have no independent assessment of whether that is true.’
The Uluru Statement co-authors added there was no new ‘direction’ and that the government’s agenda was the ‘status quo’.
‘Economic development or economic empowerment has been the Indigenous Affairs policy since John Howard,’ they said.
‘Labor hasn’t had a distinctive policy agenda since (Gough) Whitlam’s self-determination policy ended in 2005.’
They added that ‘The ‘practical’ approach in Indigenous affairs policy includes jobs, home ownership, business, free market enterprise etc.
The co-authors of the Uluru Statement, Pat Anderson and Megan Davis (pictured centre) have accused the Prime Minister of abandoning a major election promise
Anthony Albanese (centre) is escorted to the Bunggul traditional dance during the Garma Festival in the Gove Peninsula, Northern Territory on Friday, August 2, 2024
‘It has been in train for two whole decades and includes Tony Abbott’s Indigenous Procurement Policy that has operated for 10 years.’
The women said the referendum was a ‘mere 17-month blip in a 20-year long economic ‘practical’ agenda’.
‘Since the referendum nothing has changed. Two Closing the Gap reports and nothing has changed,’ they said.
‘Twenty years of an economic empowerment agenda, 18 years of closing the gap, 10 years of the Indigenous procurement policy.
‘The question that Australians should be asking is: Why hasn’t the gap closed despite these economic policies?’
