It took only five days for the political battle lines on Indigenous policy to be redrawn; the contest is now whether to challenge or accept the status quo.
Far from uniting Australia, the referendum has ignited a fresh outpouring of national division and thrust Indigenous policy into the heart of the political contest between Anthony Albanese and Peter Dutton.
This was the always big gamble Albanese took with his voice referendum. Not only do the nation and the parliament now face the threat of greater division on Indigenous policy, Labor has also lost its political narrative on the best way forward.
The retreat of Aboriginal leaders from the public square as part of the “week of silence” has stripped the Prime Minister of his ability to project leadership or articulate what his next steps will be on treaty and truth-telling.
He now finds himself on the back foot as the Coalition attempts to seize the initiative, claiming the referendum result as a vindication of its push for a royal commission into child sexual abuse and an audit of Indigenous spending programs.
Yet the Coalition proposal has not only been condemned by the government, it was comprehensively rejected on Thursday by nearly 100 leading Indigenous figures and organisations.
“These calls for a royal commission into the sexual abuse of Aboriginal children have been made without one shred of real evidence being presented,” the groups said in a joint statement. “They play into the basest negative perceptions of some people.”
This shows the contrast in approaches. The Coalition’s bid to un-anchor Indigenous policy from separatism and grievance represents a challenge to the status quo and many Indigenous organisations. This conflict is now on full display.
On the other hand, Albanese is instead caught playing for time. While he has rejected the Coalition push for a royal commission and an audit, the Prime Minister has been forced to wait until he can glean the sentiment of the Aboriginal leaders before he presents an alternative pathway forward.
This sense of indecision reveals the extent to which Labor acquiesced to the demands of the Aboriginal leadership. The deference shown to Aboriginal leaders resulted in the government taking a proposal to the people that was too radical.
Albanese turned this into a virtue, declaring he put forward the change “requested” by Indigenous Australians, but the question is whether Australians now expect him to adopt a new approach.
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