Rita Panahi: Rather than debate and scrutinise the disastrous treaty, the Victorian Liberals are running scared
If the Liberals lack the moral compass to fight this radical legislation on ideological reasons then one would hope they recognise the political opportunity it represents and fight like hell to make every Victorian aware of what Labor is seeking to implement.
The Victorian Liberals have been handed a gift with the state-based Indigenous voice and treaty.
Labor’s hubris in ramming through the unpopular, divisive and costly legislation could be its undoing – but only if the opposition actually opposes.
Thus far the Vic Libs have been characteristically weak.
They flip-flopped on the Voice referendum and they are now running dead on the far more radical, far-reaching state-based body and treaty.
It is an unprincipled and suicidally stupid strategy; most Victorians would be appalled by the broad scope of this legislation.
Coalition MPs should be campaigning on this issue, not only because it is the right thing to do for the state, but because it would dramatically improve their chances of beating the Jacinta Allan government at next year’s election.
If they don’t prevail we will be saddled with a costly and powerful new bureaucracy – a race-based body – that is funded by Victorian taxpayers but not accountable to them.
Barrister and member of the Victorian Bar Council Lana Collaris has examined the legislation and explains the “First Peoples’ Assembly” powers are buried in 200-plus pages of complex documentation.
“The bill itself is very similar to a founding constitution, so what this bill is actually doing is seeking to establish a new government in our state, an Indigenous-only government,” she told me.
“It establishes a legislature which is the First Peoples’ Assembly, it also establishes a justice arm and a ‘truth-telling’ arm so we need to be deeply concerned because this bill is creating an entirely new government.
“It will be funded by Victorian taxpayers but this new Indigenous government will not be accountable to our government in any way and we don’t get a vote in relation to it either. We are paying for it, but if we don’t like what it’s doing, we can’t vote it out. This violates the absolute fundamental principle of the Westminster system which is responsible and accountable government.”
A new, unaccountable government with far-reaching powers voted on by around one per cent of Victorians but impacting every single Victorian.
And, rather than debate and scrutinise this disastrous policy and the ideology underpinning it, the Vic Libs are running scared.
That means most Victorians are in the dark about what this legislation will mean for the running of this state.
“Victorians are completely unaware of what’s going on – there have been some negotiations going on, but in secret, there’s no way the average Victorian on the street would understand that this bill is creating an entirely new race based body,” Ms Collaris explained.
“Everyday Victorians are going to have to deal with two layers of bureaucracy.”
What an unholy mess at a time when businesses, big and small, are fleeing the state. We are already seen as a high-taxing state that stifles investment with red, green and black tape, and we’re about to add an entire new bureaucracy.
It should be noted that this is the first treaty and many more are expected.
The impact will be profound from investment to cultural issues. It requires, for example, the concept of Indigenous “truth telling” to be embedded in the school curriculum, with students as young as four being indoctrinated with the blackest black armband view of Australia.
Every new bill introduced into the Victorian parliament will also be impacted.
“Any new bill must have tabled with it a statement of treaty compatibility, this involves an element of compelled speech if you have an elected representatives who doesn’t agree that, for example, there are ‘ongoing injustices as a result of colonisation’, we are putting words in the mouths of our elected representatives,” Ms Collaris said.
“It will completely change the way this state is governed. Two governments, separate layers of bureaucracy … the separatism will get much worse.
“This is a blueprint for a one-party socialist state that will govern our Indigenous Victorians, it is not going to help (close the gap).”
It is a frightening prospect that came one step closer to fruition last week when the Victorian lower house passed the Statewide Treaty bill.
If the Liberals lack the moral compass to fight this radical legislation on ideological reasons then one would hope they recognise the political opportunity it represents and fight like hell to make every Victorian aware of what Labor is seeking to implement.
The Voice referendum was the first win conservatives recorded in this state for more than a decade.
And it came despite the ‘yes’ camp out-spending the ‘no’ side by an enormous margin.
The Brad Battin-led opposition need to find their backbone and take a stand against the toxic ideology this legislation represents.
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