Akerman: Myth and legend no basis for privilege

The notion anyone with an Aboriginal ancestor inherently possesses distinctive spiritual connections to the continent denied all other Australians undermines the basis of our democratic foundation, writes Piers Akerman.

The case for the Yes vote in the referendum for racial heritage privilege to be installed in the constitution is not only weak but it’s full of misinformation.

Bizarrely, it also supports the notion that there is an exceptionalism which must be applied to Aboriginal Australians.

Through a hereditary quirk anyone with an Aboriginal ancestor, no matter how distant, inherently possesses distinctive spiritual connections to the continent denied all other Australians. This notion undermines the whole basis of the democratic foundation of the nation.

The High Court supported this with its decision in Love and Thoms which found Indigenous spirituality to be genetically transmitted to two men, neither born in Australia or possessing residency or citizenship, such that they could not be deported under the relevant constitutional power after serving time in prison because they had Aboriginal forebears.

The Morrison government intended to use the case of Shayne Montgomery, a New Zealand citizen who had been convicted of nonviolent aggravated burglary, to overturn this precedent but the Albanese government discontinued the matter. Montgomery’s lawyers argued that he had been culturally adopted as Aboriginal after an initiation on Stradbroke Island, that he expressed a feeling of belonging and that his “spirit guides and ancestors are Aboriginal” and that the commonwealth had accepted his claim for Abstudy.

In other words, the Albanese government believes this Aboriginality can be conferred upon non-Aborigines. Another dozen non-citizens were to be released from immigration detention following the Albanese government’s discontinuance of the Montgomery appeal. The arts community strongly supports fiction – most recently in Warwick Thornton’s new film The New Boy, in which an orphan child is possessed of spooky powers, illustrated by a spark he produces to heal a snake bite victim and also produce stigmata (he’s in a Roman Catholic orphanage, natch, and Cate Blanchett stars as a nun).

Unlike the classic 1986 Crocodile Dundee in which Paul Hogan’s Mick Dundee and his Aboriginal mate Neville Bell, played by the late David Gulpilil, take the piss out of the mystique. In one memorable scene, Gulpilil walks into the night, prompting Dundee’s love interest, Sue Charlton, played by Linda Kozlowski, to ask “How does he find his way?” Dundee replies “A lot of people believe they’re telepathic” just as his mate can be heard swearing in pain after stubbing his toe in the dark.

Prime Minister Albanese, the ALP, Greens and teals lap it up though, as does Melbourne University, where Bruce Pascoe is Enterprise Professor (Indigenous Agriculture), though Indigenous agriculture is regarded by many as non-existent.

Belief in myths has translated into demands that Indigenous astronomy, mathematics, navigation and political science be accepted as reality without evidence of their existence.

Myths about stars is not navigation and reed canoes didn’t make them seafarers. Astronomy is ultimately tied up with more than legends transposed into the sky.

Saying all stars are camp fires of the dead is not astronomy.

This is not to belittle the achievements of those ancient Aborigines who managed to accrue a knowledge of Australian toxic and non-toxic botanical plant foods and develop ways of processing them.

To do the experiments here on unknown plant material should be regarded as a high human achievement. Questioning the Voice to parliament is to risk being branded a racist but when stripped of its wishfulness, the referendum is about manipulation to obtain power through shaming and guilt.

We should all be equal, as we are now, as citizens with no special rights or privileges based on ancestry over which none of us have any control.

Those pushing the Yes case are among the most powerful law firms, mining companies and lobby firms in the nation yet they ignore the reality that within living memory we have seen the horrific results of the implementation of race-based laws.