Renee Heath: Why the Voice can’t answer all problems

I wholeheartedly support Indigenous recognition in our Constitution but the Voice is not the answer for Indigenous Australia.

Liberal MLC for Eastern Victoria Region Renee Heath. Picture: Facebook

When I was 12, my eyes were opened to a different aspect of Australia.

I saw the plight of Indigenous communities suffering from violence and crime first-hand during a trip to outback NSW. 

I also had the privilege of meeting local Indigenous leaders with whom I forged lifelong friendships that remain today.

Their example of service and leadership motivates me to make the best contribution I can to improving the lives of Indigenous people through public life.

I have not considered the proposed Voice to Parliament lightly. While I wholeheartedly support Indigenous recognition in our Constitution, I do not believe the Voice is the answer for Indigenous Australia.

Treating any ethnic group as a collective beholden to one opinion degrades and diminishes them. Indigenous people are individuals with diverse views and opinions, philosophies and world views.

We do them a great disservice by allowing their individualism to be swallowed up in a multibillion-dollar, unelected bureaucracy that claims to speak on their behalf.

The sad truth is, governments have a terrible track record of solving Indigenous issues through bureaucracies — why create another one and enshrine it in our Constitution?

Our first priority should be to properly review the multiple programs and initiatives aimed at improving outcomes for Indigenous people over the past two decades and determine why most have failed. 

When it comes to Indigenous representation, we currently have 3500 registered Aboriginal corporations and 80 peak Indigenous bodies representing thousands of organisations.

 We have 11 Indigenous federal members of Parliament, and ministers for Indigenous affairs federally and in all states and territories.

The mechanisms for representation are available, but are a broad range of Indigenous people engaging with them? 

We must empower Indigenous people to use the tools of democracy available to them to make their voices heard.

If Labor and proponents of the Voice truly believe representation is the problem, why not focus on improving their engagement with Indigenous people? 

 If the Voice aims to improve outcomes for Indigenous Australians, our first priority should be auditing Indigenous programs and creating evidence-based policy.

Renee Heath is Liberal MLC for Eastern Victoria Region