John Anderson on The Voice To Parliament | Op-Ed 

It's obviously not about democracy and equality . It's about power, control and money

Last year I was studying an arts degree at RMIT, majoring in literature. Each subject in my major was subverted to be entirely about Indigenous affairs and I have still not had a single assignment that was not centred around the very same thing. I went into it feeling very strongly as I have all my life that I care about reconciliation and that I care about the wellbeing of Indigenous Australians and the prosperity of the remote communities you mentioned. But after an entire year being ceaselessly attacked by teachers and students alike in every single class for my British heritage, being called a racist in the comments of almost all my assignments for saying things that were not even slightly racist, all I can say is that I am now hostile at best. In fact, I actively want to leave the country now because I feel like there's no home here for me any more. I'm doing everything I can to save up enough money to leave because I feel I'm unwelcome, even though I was born here. They've actively destroyed support by the overt politicisation of people's lives and identities. If that's happened to me, and I was a fervent supporter of Indigenous communities, it's really concerning to think about how the wider community might be starting to feel. Entrenching societies in identity politics, as the Voice is aiming to do, only promotes separation and seeds distrust and hostility. Reconciliation will never be achieved under the Voice.

THANK YOU John for speaking out. I am all for equal treatment of the Australian people ... regardless of a person's race.

Also, it's not like we haven't tried these committees before! Enshrining it in the constitution won't fix the issues with how they've been run previously. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Commission (ATSIC) - ATSIC was disbanded in 2004 by the Howard Government amid concerns about its effectiveness, transparency, and accountability. The government argued that ATSIC had become too politicised and that its governance structure was not working. The decision was controversial and faced criticism from Indigenous leaders and others who believed that ATSIC played an important role in representing the interests of Indigenous Australians. National Indigenous Council (NIC) - The NIC was abolished in 2008 by the incoming Rudd Government, which argued that the body had become too closely aligned with the Howard Government and had lost its independence and credibility. The government also believed that the NIC was not representative of Indigenous communities and that there were better ways to engage with Indigenous Australians. Indigenous Advisory Council (IAC) - The IAC was disbanded in 2015 by the Turnbull Government, which argued that the body had not achieved its objectives and that there were better ways to engage with Indigenous communities. The decision was controversial and faced criticism from some Indigenous leaders and others who believed that the IAC had played an important role in advising the government on Indigenous issues. Just some examples, not all.

The Australian Human Rights Commission: "Racism is the process by which systems and policies, actions and attitudes create inequitable opportunities and outcomes for people, based on race". This sounds like a very clear DEFINITION of the "voice" to me.

Well spoken John. The reality is that most of us lack a voice to Parliament as our local members, more often than not, are beholden to party politics, which in turn answers to plutocrats and well funded interest groups. The way the voice has been run to date is symptomatic of a broader malaise that also presents in gender politics, the absence of domestic debate about acquiescence to WHO 'instruments', and the efforts of domestic bureaucrats to align with supranational agencies' efforts to implement programmable mediums of exchange. The voices uttering the little peoples' wishes are seldom heard, let alone listened to.

The constitution doesent need to be tampered with to improve the lives of the indigenous...just agencies that are competently run.

It’s great to hear John again. He’s the ‘The Voice’ of sense, logic and truth!

Around 30 years ago (long before modern P.C wokeness) an aboriginal elder woman (one of the most wonderful and wise human beings I've ever encountered) told me that her people and her tribe never laid claim to anything including the land because they were part of it and not separate from it. She said that the animals were their brothers and sisters and the rivers and the trees were their family. She said each person at birth was assigned a totem animal/creature from birth (hers was the goanna) that was like a kindred spirit (she explained it better than I can) and like the animals, their tribe kept moving as the seasons changed and the food moved with the conditions (no single area could provide enough to sustain the tribe). Nothing she said resembled the (modern) Uluru statement (unlikely she'd be a signatory to it). I'm all for not leaving anyone behind/disadvantaged socially or economically but we must all be equal under the law, and leave merit, ability and effort to sort out the rest.

I find Albanese's responses to questions with strawman arguments and excessive politician speak, only fosters a growing distrust in him. His original announcement that there would be a referendum on the proposal to introduce 'The Voice' was coupled to the statement that voting for it was a "modest request" and thereafter that the 'details' would be dealt with 'after' the vote. As John pointed out, there seems to be a much broader agenda here i.e. first the voice, then truth telling and finally treaty. I personally think that the ultimate goal and long-game is sovereignty by stealth. None of this has been clearly articulated by the Prime Minister. With something of critical importance as our country's constitution at the centre of the referendum, truth and honesty is everything.

One people, one nation, one voice. Vote NO to the voice.

Seems like ATSIC 2.0 but with much greater powers. There was a huge black hole of funds disappearing into ATSIC with no accountability. The Voice is just a money grab and power play for only a proportion of Australian Aboriginals. This will not change anything for disadvantaged Aboriginals in remote communities, who will continue to be disenfranchised and live in poverty. I wonder if the Voice proponents would feel differently if their own children were exposed to what so many women and children endure in those communities, exacerbated by the Urban activists who propose a hands off policy which puts so many Aboriginals at risk.

John, you are the voice of reason. This referendum should be scrapped, as it will do nothing for our brothers and sisters, who are caught in the never ending spiral of bureaucratic and government ineptness. I will vote No.🙏👍🇦🇺

I agree with with John,most people haven’t even seen the problems in Aboriginal communities but speak as if they were experts,the problems with alcoholism is riff,children wandering the streets at night to afraid to go to bed because of the fear of being sexually abused and to tired to go to school the next day.This becomes entrenched in there society as a way of life and it’s all fueled by alcoholism. I don’t think giving 3% of the population the power over 97% will be the answer.

John Anderson. The voice of reason In australia.

I wish we still had coherent, reasonable, classy politicians like you, John! I’m so embarrassed by what goes on in our chambers and the lack of wholesome debate.

In many cases Indigenous Australians now have more advantage than anyone else. That's one reason why a no vote is required.

Gratifying to hear the voice of reason explaining why we need to be one people not a divided society

Dead right John. Thank you for caring, and for taking the time to record these very thoughtful comments.

Thankyou John!! You are the Voice of Reason, Truth and Justice in these rather perilous times!! It is absolutely wonderful to hear your opinions again. God Bless You and Your Family!!❤

Wonderful Op-Ed - lucid, calm and full of wisdom. If only there were people still in our parliament with even a fraction of your common sense, Mr. Anderson, Australia would be a far, far better place. Thank you, Sir.

Prayers and best wishes to Australia from the USA ❤ May common sense prevail.

Indigenous Australians are already well represented in Parliament, so another voice is not required. A separate voice will only cause division. Recognition in the constitution is reasonable, but extending that to what could become a third tier of federal government is dangerous. Thank you John, for your important contribution to this debate.

Let's get some ears in parliament. Far too many voices already.

The more you describe people by groups, the more they tend to hate each other. We are all AUSTRALIANS. Nothing else should matter.

Your last comment rang home true for me as someone who has chosen to work with aboriginal people, especially the homeless. The activist class don't appear to want any solutions; just continuing reasons to promote their own platforms and see their own name in lights.

Thank you John . Blessings from Sydney .

Thankyou so much John for your passionate, impartial, rational discussion of this much misunderstood highly charged issue.

Thankyou John for your thoughtful and genuine contribution to this debate.

John you always fill me with hope and pride for Australia. I love your RU-vid talks and this talk on the voice is logical and calm. I admire you so much and see no moral giants like you and John Howard in our modern governments. Poor Australia..

A man to be respected for what he has done for Australia & his words of wisdom.

We have universal suffrage in Australia, 1 vote for 1 person to be represented in parliament. No special interest group should have special access to parliament over and above other citizens. We live in one of the oldest democracies and we are contemplating undermining the primacy of the voters and their parliament. It's by no means perfect, but this will imperil what we have. The architects of this are fully aware that this undermines out parliament. If these people have come up with a better way of representing citizens then lets hear it, and we can make it available for all. A Yes vote , will entrench the current a b o r i g i n a l aristocracy and essentially mean that your birthright (race) is more important than being an equal citizen. Principles we have taken generations to rid ourselves of. Don't mention the activist lawyers, give an inch they will take a mile. Meanwhile the less than 3% of the population these people pretend to help will be no better because of this.

Come Home John we need you 🇦🇺

John, I can see both sides of the issue for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people to be able to live better lives. I can see your integrity in wanting that outcome. I can also see Thomas Mayo’s integrity in wanting the same outcome. I had no idea who he was until recently when I met him and listened to the history of Aboriginal people’s attempts to be listened to and seek beneficial legislation, through the Parliamentary process, and it would appear, failing time and again. For example, ATSIC, apparently had its problems but at the same time also had its successes. It was binned. I don’t know if this was juste or not but there seems to be a pattern of failed prospective legislation that continues to plague efforts to improve the livelihoods of this one group of fellow Australians who happen to be the descendants of the first inhabitants of this continent. I am beginning to feel, and embarrassingly not before time, the trauma, their generational trauma from acts such as the removal of children from their families. Similarly, I would not want The Voice to stifle and quagmire any legislative or administrative process designed ultimately to improve livelihoods, nor be elevated above any other Australian group of citizens, in spite of the fact that the land from which they gained their livelihood and of which they were preserving for future generations, was never ceded post the arrival of the colonists. Again, trying to look at both sides of the same coin, the coin of humanity’s attempts to live peacefully and harmoniously, I see at least some, if not significant truths in the Frontier Wars and in one of the few successful attempts at genocide in human history. And, I also look at the state of Western democracy seemingly since 2014, having slipped into this populist era of polarisation, lack of accurate representation of the electorate on the back of 200 short years in our Western history that it has taken industrialisation to have such a negative impact on our planet. I can’t help thinking that maybe the ego of the West, in spite of our many accomplishments, might just be on its last legs and might benefit from a dose of humility and from actually, for once, engaging in that lost art of listening to the voice and meaning of the other person, with respect, and for our mutual benefit.

All these words Reconciliation, Truth Seeking, Ukuru statement from the heart are just different words for getting your Land,Your Property ,Your Rights and zero accountability for committing crimes...

In Australia there are three levels of government which consists of the Federal Government, each State and territory governments and each State and Territory is broken up into local government areas. All these levels of governments are made up of representatives elected by the people. The remit for ALL of theses representatives to serve the needs of All the constituents (A person who is represented politically by a designated government official or officeholder) of their electorates at their Federal, States and Territory and local Government areas of responsibility. Overall all Australians are therefore represented by a total of 6, 734 elected representative who have a voice in all parliaments across the nation. They all have a sworn obligation to represent ALL OF THE CONSTITUENTS they represent regardless of their race, race, religion political affiliation, economic circumstances or any other affiliation they may have an interest in.

John, I became emotional when I saw yourself and Jordan Peterson talk together. It's such a relief to see two such beautiful, elegant, intelligent men trying to understand and maybe even solve the deepest of problems. We really need you right now. Thank you for your service x❤

Mr. Anderson directs our attention to claims that the New Zealand Parliamentary process is frustrated by litigation brought to the Waitangi Tribunal. He states: "Take the Waitangi Tribunal in New Zealand, which has direct veto power over certain legislation. This discriminatory innovation to the New Zealand government system has expanded over time and has contributed to divisive racial politics. We’ve got to be wiser here." Mr. Anderson does not divulge his sources for this idea. There are several possibilities including Senator Jacinta Price & prominent Voice opponent Daniel Wild, the deputy executive director of the Institute of Public Affairs (IPA). For instance, Mr. Wild typically raised the matter during an interview broadcast on Perth ABC Radio entitled: "Advisory only? That's what they thought before the New Zealand High Court got involved." Along with Mr Anderson, those aforementioned proponents of the "No Case" claim the Waitangi Tribunal is an example of how the proposed Constitutional Voice would ultimately acquire (through High Court rulings) an overarching power of veto upon the Australian Federal Parliamentary process. Rebuttals to this claim have appeared in several places and include: RMIT ABC Fact Check Posted Fri 14 Apr 2023 "Does New Zealand's parliament really play second fiddle to a 'Maori Voice'?" and AAP (Australian Associated Press) FACTCHECK "Voice comparisons with NZ tribunal are just wrong." The views expressed by Mr. Wild, Mr. Anderson, Senator Price and others are discredited by various informed NZ legal academics and practitioners. Mr. Anderson would do well to inform himself of the alternative view. It seems disingenuous on his part that he doesn't bother to address or acknowledge that alternative. There is no evidence that the Waitangi Tribunal has acquired any powers of veto beyond the scope of the Act of its establishment. The Waitangi Tribunal was originally established as a commission of inquiry in 1975. In part it was seen as a necessary entity having regard to the fact that the Treaty of Waitangi differed in its English language version from the Maori language version. Its sole given "power" is to make recommendations to the government. Nothing has changed regarding that legislated power. Where genuine cases of actual or envisaged outcomes contrary to the spirit and intent of the Treaty of Waitangi have been heard by the Tribunal, it is presumably morally incumbent on the NZ Government to act on any recommendations made by the Tribunal to address any potentially adverse outcomes incompatible with the Treaty. However, there is no legal requirement to act on those recommendations and examples apparently exist where they have been ignored. Concerning the makeup of the Tribunal, the Crown alone appoints tribunal members, many of whom are non-Maori. According to the Tribunal website: "The role of the Tribunal is set out in section 5 of the Treaty of Waitangi Act 1975 and includes: - Inquiring into and making recommendations on well-founded claims - Examining and reporting on proposed legislation, if it is referred to the Tribunal by the House of Representatives or a Minister of the Crown - Making recommendations or determinations about certain Crown forest land, railways land, state-owned enterprise land, and land transferred to educational institutions."

Thank you Mr Anderson - are we not - One Blood - they are Australian original people - wonderful made and know this land like no other - we should - care for each other - I’m 80 now and still miss my best friend -

Wise ❤ WORDS ‼️ Thanks John ❤

The likes of John and others such as Peter Hitchens stepping up and using their wisdom and the fearlessness that reaching a certain age gives a person, has been one of the few things that gives me hope in these deeply odd times. What causes me grave concern is what will happen once that generation passes, as it will be irreplaceable . They are doing God's work and maybe, just maybe, they have sparked enough fires of truth that will burn brightly after they're gone. I've a feeling though that John will be with us for a long time to come.

A compelling and persuasive argument. And a heartfelt one.

Jacinta Price said this recently in The Australian newspaper : “As an Australian with Warlpiri heritage, I would love to experience a day where my racial identity wasn’t brought into focus. I would love not to be forced to feel singled out through superficial acknowledgments or alleged respect for nothing more than my racial heritage. This is tokenism writ large and paternalism of the highest order.”

Glad to hear you speaking out against this, thank you

That’s all Australia needs more bureaucracy,we are choking with bureaucracy in Australia

Thank you John! You have always been a very level headed person when it comes to Australia! Thank you!

Well articulated John. As an Aussie citizen I think the referendum question should have had the recognition decoupled from the advisory to the executive. There should be two questions. One, would you like to see a statement of recognition of Indigenous people in the constitution? Yes. Two, would you like to see an Indigenous people advisory group to the executive government called The Voice? Hm.

The irony behind The Voice is the implicit admission that Labor has never listened.

Exactly, distraction from the real needs we need to attend to. Well said John. Thank you for your clear presentation.

The LNP still have Australia as Terra Nullius. No apology. No Heart. No truth

John makes an excellent point, if only by implication, and that is; if every State and Territory has a Minister and a ministry for Aboriginal affairs, and Federally also, then you'd have to ask yourself, are they doing their job? Billions upon billions have been spent on Aboriginal welfare to so little effect, and yet somehow this Voice will change all that? Dream on. 9:34

A sensible approach to a real issue with changing the constitution. We really have a PM who, advised by aboriginal elites are directing the yes team to something we will regret. This will divide Australians for a long time

Sounds more like a leader than our actual non leader albo.

Great talk John. Looking forward to seeing you tonight in Auckland NZ.

This needs to be aired on TV

Jon Anderson, thank you for pointing out all of the very valid issues that the media ignore. I ask anyone who sensibely wants to debate this issue, to tell us one thing to date that indigenous Australians have received over non indigenous Australians, that has bridged the gap? Their own flag, land right, previladges above other Australians, billions of tax payers to the multiple indigenous committees, bodies, and representatives, acknowledgement in every major event, Government Department, Parliament, schools, and corporate website, Sorry Day, non of this has bridged the gap. The voice in my view will create further division between Australians and future Governments.

Thank you John, thank you.

Thank you John. Well said. Australia is built on the fact that all Australians are equal and we must not change that in our constitution.

Well said John. There is so much more behind this voice and once you open Pandora's box, the genie will never go back in

Well said John. People need to understand these issues without blindly voting yes.

I wish we had more people like you in parliament John.

The bigger problem in Australia is no growth, lack of housing, over migration and yet we are focused on this .

Aboriginal people need to stop feeling sorry for themselves and start going out and making their own lives better, get educated, get a job, make friends and have a family. Life is hard though, so don't be discouraged and blame someone else if you don't succeed right away.

Good on you John for your thoughts concerning The Voice.

Thank you so much John.

Thank you Sir. Yes, there is an expectation of Voice - Treaty - Truth and there are plenty of unknowns. Change always involves the unknown. I am left with some questions from your commentary. How can we know that the majority of Australians will reject (some form of) treaty? We can't know that. What we can know, is that if we do nothing, nothing happens. The (almost always) white ministers for Aboriginal/Indigenous Affairs have not closed the gap in many decades. That structure for "voice to parliaments" is not working. There will be struggles along this path. Perfect harmony will not follow the referendum - division already exists and it won't simply go away - but in the words of Colin Powell, "We must not make perfect the enemy of good."

Well said John 👍🏻 (hello from Coonabarabran!)

Indigenous Australians already have a "VOICE" to parliament, as do all Australians. It is called your local federal member. If you do not like how your local member is representing you, then vote them out and run for parliament yourself. This is how a democracy works for "ALL" Australians, not just for one particular race.

Thankyou, John Anderson.

Fantastic summary…. Well done John…..

Thanks for keeping the comments section open John. RU-vid doesn't like it and most Australian news outlets seem to 'switch off' (aka censor) the comments section. Sad state of affairs these days. Disgraceful to think this is what our diggers fought for. And the modern day sheepdogs of society (ie those with any common sense) are growing more and more weary each day...

Respect for John Anderson...we should listen to the Wisdom of this Elder...and NOT to the Claptrap of the Ignoble and Greedy! 🇦🇺🌹💯

As always brilliantly said.

I was born in Australia and am regularly subject to being 'welcomed' to the land of my birth. I was under the impression that the United Nations states that everyone is entitled to a nationality. I am not entitled to return to the lands of my ancestors and yet I have, apparently, no claim to the country I was born in and have to have my presence repeatedly and explicitly allowed. How come the right to a nationality doesn't apply to me?

There are many voices crying for help but the government seems to be deaf

If the Aboriginal elders haven’t been consulted collectively about the voice, how much of a voice do people think they will have if it was voted in? The voice will most likely come from the corporations that have funded the ‘YES’ vote

Thank you John 🙏

Friends, here is good cut/past to share on Teela Reid of the Voice. Dont be complacement as the battle is not yet won. It depends on us: Sydney lawyer Teela Reid is Group Leader in designing the Uluru Statement, and member of the Voice Referendum Engagement Group advising the PM on building community support. The PM describes her as the next generation of "remarkable' Aboriginal leaders. Reid is on record as saying the Voice is the first step in "redistributing power" and has previously called for reparations to be paid to Aboriginals. She states "racism is synonymous with Australia" and that "Australia cannot handle the truth" and is "a nation without a soul". Indigenous Affairs Minister, Linda Burney claims the Voice "won't be giving advice on changing Australia Day", but Reid contradicts this, "It is truly disingenuous to be claiming mob won't be demanding to abolish Australia day. It started decades before the referendum, it'll still be a demand after it." And she states just changing the date is not enough, "It's always been Abolish Australia Day changing the date is a cop out." All the while, our PM claims the Voice is an “inspiring and unifying Australian moment” and a "modest request".

I think The Voice is TOTALLY without merit, TOTALLY. In fact I think it will be damaging to both Australia as a whole and the Aboriginal themselves. Wrong in principle and ineffective in practice.

Thankyou, I wish I were that articulate.

Could we instead have a referendum on removing Section 51, subsection 26 from the constitution? The part that gives parliament the power with regard to “the people of any race for whom it is deemed necessary to make special laws”. In its place we can enshrine a commitment for the state to not discriminate against its citizens on the basis of their immutable characteristics.

Well explaint truths ❤

We've had 4 or 5 versions of the voice in the past. Past by legislation and then dismantled by the change of government and then reinstated by that same government. There are bigger wastes of money by the government, then trying to make things better for the first Australians to have the same average life span as the rest of Australia.

We agree with the statement below!! Thank you John for a clear & logical presentation regarding The Voice.

Sir, you are an eminent Australian! Your integrity, ability to critically think, present the facts from both sides and draw justified (& I feel, ethical) conclusions is inspiring. What a great Leader your are.! These are my fellow Australians and an important and complex issue. I feel let down by the 'Yes' vote as when questioned at even the basic level the answer is .because. or .don't worry. or if your vote no you are a .... (or perhaps I just tune in to the wrong stations and missed the detail). This is our constitution, the Executive etc. This needs significant exploration. Thank you for explaining things so clearly and concisely. It has helped me a great deal. I will reflect on your viewpoints. An Aussi nurse

We are one, we are Australia.

A balanced and thought-through address, the content of which I completely agree with. It seems to be another level of bureaucracy which will add to the already overburdened framework of indigenous representations. All of us are equal citizens under the Crown and giving special treatment to one group opens up all sorts of problems. Thank you for pointing out some of the needed facts.

Great folks, we vote on something that has not been actually "DEFINED"!!!

Here, here John. Well said. One has to wonder how the 'Voice' will act any differently from the current plethora of Aboriginal Australian agencies - eg NIAA The really frightening aspect, is that if successful once it is in the Constitution it is virtually impossible to remove it. Peter Dutton is absolutely correct in opposing this preposterous proposal.

Politicians and the mainstream media can't fix your problems, only you and your community can. Speak to your neighbours and hold meetings at your town hall if necessary. Make your change locally, and start with improving yourself.

As Johnny Farnham sang, “it’s the Voice, no one understands it”………just VOTE NO. We are one people

It won't be their voice, it will be the voice of politicians saying what THEY themselves think is best for our indigenous brothers and sisters.

Divisive politics is dangerous. Look to America.

Listen, learn, research and think carefully. We Ozfolk will be asked to vote on the issue. Mr Anderson has some most pertinent words on the matter. He is without doubt a True and Committed Australian; a gentleman, intellectually and experientially endowed.

thank you, thank you

1000% agree. This presentation should be compulsory viewing and be broadcast on every TV network in prime time. Perhaps Linda Burney or some other advocate could make a similarly logical and suspect presentation??😮

Thank you John I looked to your clear thinking, to help me make up my mind how I will vote on the voice referendum

Well said!

Thank You John! I am very worried if the voice in Parliament goes ahead!

Thankyou John for providing the clearest most sensible thoughts on the subject by anyone to this date.