April
Albanese denies he’ll revive the Voice
The prime minister has ruled out revisiting the Voice after Penny Wong described it as unfinished business.
Welcome to Country: In defence of culture wars
Culture wars break out amid debates such as the frequency of welcome to country ceremonies because elites fail to listen to ordinary people’s legitimate social concerns.
January
Dutton was not being divisive by opposing the Voice
Readers’ letters on the opposition leader, campaign finance laws, Liberal Party preselections, climate change, Georgina Downer, Tasmanian forests, and smartphones.
October 2024
‘We did as we were asked’: PM defends the Voice a year on
Anthony Albanese says his ill-fated pursuit of the Voice to parliament was at the behest of Indigenous leaders.
White demographics did not drive the Voice vote
It wasn’t old, white voters who made the Voice referendum fail. The Yes campaign aimed at elites, and took the rest of Australia for granted.
Why the Voice went unheard at the referendum
The proposed constitutional change was based on an ideology of Indigenous separatism. It is not the way to get the progress that First Nations people so clearly need.
A year on, Labor needs to find another vision
The Voice defeat taught the Albanese government it needed to focus on the economy. But it needs to take better policies to the next election.
Raw wounds and toxic politics: One year on from the Voice
After last year’s push to recognise Indigenous Australians in the constitution ended in defeat, the groups remain deeply divided.
Naive to think Labor should have delayed Voice vote
Readers’ letters on the failed Voice referendum; home loan serviceability buffers; NDIS claims; cloud seeding; and landlord tax reform.
Voice architect says Labor should have delayed referendum
Megan Davis, who helped draft the landmark 2017 Uluru Statement, says Indigenous Australians lost out to misinformation and lies.
September 2024
Why even Taylor Swift’s endorsement wouldn’t work in Australia
Celebrities weighing into politics is not unusual in Australia, but experts warn it can be a fraught exercise.
Australia’s Constitution isn’t that hard to change
Most of the 44 attempts to change the Constitution involved taking power from the states and giving it to the Commonwealth. Virtually every time, voters said “no”.
August 2024
Voice architect fears Indigenous policy ‘deja vu’ trap
Uluru Dialogue co-chairwoman Pat Anderson warned Labor not to throw its promise of a Makarrata commission “out with the referendum bathwater”.
PM’s Indigenous economic plan ‘not enough’
Businessman and Voice advocate Sean Gordon says many Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities are not well placed to benefit from renewables development.
PM promises major Indigenous economic plan
Anthony Albanese will attend the Garma Festival in Arnhem Land on Saturday, saying his determination to close the disadvantage gap has not wavered.
July 2024
The soaring success and unspeakable grief of Linda Burney
Linda Burney has been a pioneering advocate for Indigenous Australia, but her life has been peppered by tragedy.
June 2024
Push for Indigenous truth-telling amid voice ‘silence’
The Greens will seek to establish an Indigenous truth and justice commission as a prominent elder criticises the government’s “silence” following the referendum failure.
Right-wing group asks Jewish donors for millions to target Greens
Advance’s campaign to portray the Greens as antisemitic worries some Liberals, who fear it will drive voters to the Labor Party.
Big business’ Voice advocacy backfired: new Qantas chairman
John Mullen said businesses should not be “completely anaesthetised” on social issues, but warned it can be dangerous for firms to back politicised causes.
Why there are calls for reform after 30 years of native title
This week on The Fin podcast, Peter Ker and Ronald Mizen explore whether the native title regime is delivering for Indigenous Australians.