OPINION: The violent crimes devastating Alice Springs are a shocking counterpoint to an indigenous Voice to parliament.
Peter Dutton’s demand he do so is only part of it. Extensive coverage of the violence, robberies, alcohol-fuelled assaults and gangs of kids roaming the town’s streets made it impossible for the Prime Minister to avoid. A planned pre-Christmas trip was derailed by his COVID infection.
It’s a reminder the prime minister must also persuade people a vote for constitutional recognition and the Voice makes it more feasible to address massive social problems endemic in many Indigenous communities throughout Australia. So he argues the Voice will help the government do more to “close the gap” in health, education and other areas of social and economic disadvantage rather than becoming another symbolic distraction from the real issues – as its critics claim.
In some ways, that sounds even more ominous for the referendum than the ferocious opposition to the Voice as an insulting waste of time by another Indigenous woman, the Country Liberal party’s Jacinta Price. Price has consistently drawn attention to the much overlooked tragedy of rampant domestic violence facing Indigenous women and children ,with her criticisms receiving increased attention since being elected to the Senate last year.
But it’s becoming more obvious that relying on the “vibe” of a referendum – based on general community goodwill for the idea – is also unlikely to be enough as the vote gets nearer.Unlike the Nationals, the Liberals are yet to announce a position, insisting the government must first release more details of just how the Voice would operate. Labor believes this risks bogging the proposal down in arguments over specifics that should be appropriately sorted out by parliament post-referendum.
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