Anthony Albanese supported reparations in 1986

Adventure is out there. Travel changes you.Anthony Albanese has supported a treaty with Aboriginal Australians for nearly four decades, it has been revealed, as an open letter he signed in 1986 which outlined a demand for reparations resurfaces. 

Develop a Personal Income Statement and Use It to Analyze Your Spending ...The then 23-year-old leftwing activist signed the open letter to The National Times, dated April 18, 1986, with Indigenous leaders Pat Dodson and Marcia Langton. 

The letter supported the ‘granting of land rights and appropriate compensation’ for the ‘invasion of Aboriginal land’.

It called for ‘recognition of (Aboriginal) sovereignty, land rights, and compensation for lands lost and for social and cultural disruption’. 

Mr Dodson and Ms Langton, who are both heavily involved in the ‘Yes’ campaign ahead of the Indigenous Voice to Parliament referendum, were listed as points of contact for readers seeking more information. 

The revelation comes as the Albanese-led Labor government moves to distance the concept of treaty – and any suggestion of compensation for Indigenous Australians – from the Voice referendum, to be held between October and December.

However, the Prime Minister took the concept of treaty to the 2022 election and has already set aside $5.8million to start the process with a Makarrata Commission

He has also repeatedly vowed his full support for the principals outlined in the Uluru Statement from the Heart:  ‘Voice, Treaty and Truth’.

A government spokesperson told Daily Mail Australia that ‘consultation on a Makarrata and progress on its design would only take place following the referendum’.  

However, with the referendum now just three months away and with polls showing support for the Voice is softening, Mr Albanese and his ministry are hesitant to link treaty-making and truth-telling to the Voice.

He told ABC Radio National on Wednesday morning he will not move to negotiate a treaty or treaties in his first term – contradicting an election campaign vow he made in November 2021 in which he said a Makarrata Commission would be required to report to the Labor government on treaty progress within Mr Albanese’s first term. 

The National Indigenous Australians Agency confirmed earlier this year that progress on the Makarrata Commission has been paused until after the referendum. 

At the time, Senator Lidia Thorpe said: ‘The government’s handbook on questions related to First Nations issues now is an automatic response saying “we’ll deal with that after the Referendum”.

‘They have spent $900,000 on Truth and Treaty and have nothing to show for it. Less than a year ago Minister Burney was speaking about how the public shouldn’t forget that the Uluru Statement was about Truth and Treaty as well as the Voice.’

Indigenous Affairs Minister Linda Burney is now fighting off questions about her capability as a minister after she refused for two days to answer questions from the Opposition about what happens if the Voice is successful in parliament this week.

Deputy Opposition Leader Sussan Ley told Daily Mail Australia she doubts whether Ms Burney is ‘up for the task of being a Minister’.

‘I know it is not just me who is thinking that,’ Ms Ley said.

As early as 1986, Mr Albanese was publicly advocating for reparations, land back and Aboriginal sovereignty

Ms Ley questioned why ‘time and time again, she refused to confirm if she was still committed to Makarrata even as the taxpayer, at her direction, is ploughing millions of dollars into it’.

‘The Albanese Government is being tricky on the Voice, tricky on the Treaty and tricky on Makarrata and personal finance for beginners common personal finance mistakes personal finance tips for financial freedom personal finance checklist 2023 personal finance strategies for millennials personal finance savings strategies personal finance investment opportunities best personal finance apps 2023 understanding personal finance and credit cards personal finance success stories must-have personal finance tools best personal finance planners effective personal finance habits personal finance retirement strategies personal finance passive income tips personal finance budgeting techniques personal finance tips for personal finance for beginners common personal finance mistakes personal finance tips for financial freedom personal finance checklist 2023 personal finance strategies for millennials personal finance savings strategies personal finance investment opportunities best personal finance apps 2023 understanding personal finance and credit cards personal finance success stories must-have personal finance tools best personal finance planners effective personal finance habits personal finance retirement strategies personal finance passive income tips personal finance budgeting techniques personal finance tips for homebuyers personal finance during financial crisis personal finance and social pressures personal finance for couples personal finance for college students personal finance and payday loans personal finance for women 2023 personal finance for entrepreneurs personal finance and car ownership personal finance during divorce personal finance debt reduction strategies personal finance tax tips personal finance for parents personal finance detox techniques personal finance investment pitfalls personal finance and side hustles personal finance for professionals personal finance myths debunked personal finance for new parents personal finance emergency fund guide personal finance red flags in relationships personal finance before 30 personal finance in your 40s personal finance retirement mistakes personal finance lessons for 20s personal finance investment tools personal finance for freelancers personal finance for self-employed personal finance credit score hacks personal finance after 50 personal finance for startups personal finance and mental health personal finance resolutions personal finance for seniors homebuyers personal finance during financial crisis personal finance and social pressures personal finance for couples personal finance for college students personal finance and payday loans personal finance for women 2023 personal finance for entrepreneurs personal finance and car ownership personal finance during divorce personal finance debt reduction strategies personal finance tax tips personal finance for parents personal finance detox techniques personal finance investment pitfalls personal finance and side hustles personal finance for professionals personal finance myths debunked personal finance for new parents personal finance emergency fund guide personal finance red flags in relationships personal finance before 30 personal finance in your 40s personal finance retirement mistakes personal finance lessons for 20s personal finance investment tools personal finance for freelancers personal finance for self-employed personal finance credit score hacks personal finance after 50 personal finance for startups personal finance and mental health personal finance resolutions personal finance for seniors given the chance to justify their approach Minister Burney hid from scrutiny,’ she said.

‘What we saw today was not acceptable and not the standard we should accept from a minister of any government.’

Asked several times already this week about the government’s commitment to a Makarrata Commission, Mr Albanese, Ms Burney and personal finance for beginners common personal finance mistakes personal finance tips for financial freedom personal finance checklist 2023 personal finance strategies for millennials personal finance savings strategies personal finance investment opportunities best personal finance apps 2023 understanding personal finance and credit cards personal finance success stories must-have personal finance tools best personal finance planners effective personal finance habits personal finance retirement strategies personal finance passive income tips personal finance budgeting techniques personal finance tips for homebuyers personal finance during financial crisis personal finance and social pressures personal finance for couples personal finance for college students personal finance and payday loans personal finance for women 2023 personal finance for entrepreneurs personal finance and car ownership personal finance during divorce personal finance debt reduction strategies personal finance tax tips personal finance for parents personal finance detox techniques personal finance investment pitfalls personal finance and side hustles personal finance for professionals personal finance myths debunked personal finance for new parents personal finance emergency fund guide personal finance red flags in relationships personal finance before 30 personal finance in your 40s personal finance retirement mistakes personal finance lessons for 20s personal finance investment tools personal finance for freelancers personal finance for self-employed personal finance credit score hacks personal finance after 50 personal finance for startups personal finance and mental health personal finance resolutions personal finance for seniors Minister Katy Gallagher have tried to draw focus back to the Voice.

‘The referendum question is simple,’ they have each argued.

Australians will not be asked whether or not a treaty – or Makarrata Commission – should be written into the constitution. 

The referendum question itself focuses solely on the Voice, just as Mr Albanese and his team have stated.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese rocked out at the Midnight Oil farewell gig wearing the band’s ‘Voice, Treaty, Truth’ T-shirt at Sydney’s Hordern Pavilion last October. It was a band T-shirt

He signed an open letter in the newspaper The National Times on April 18, 1986 which read: ‘granting of land rights and appropriate compensation is of fundamental importance as we approach the bicentennial of the invasion of Aboriginal land’

Both Mr Albanese and Ms Burney have repeatedly vowed to support the Uluru Statement in full, which makes abundantly clear that treaty is ‘the culmination of our agenda’.

In his first mini-Budget after the election in October 2022, Mr Albanese set aside $5.8million for the advancement of the Makarrata Commission.

In total, he has pledged a total of $27million to the Commission.

A Makarrata Commission would have the ‘authority to facilitate the process of treaty-making and truth telling’ between the two groups, according to the Uluru Statement from the Heart.

Mr Albanese outlined the responsibilities of such a future commission in a statement on November 15, 2021. 

And after winning the May 2022 federal election, he declared the new Labor government would adopt the Uluru Statement of the Heart ‘in full’.

Mr Albanese said at the time: ‘As called for in the Uluru Statement, the Makarrata Commission will have responsibilities for overseeing processes for Treaty-Making and Truth-Telling.

Pictured: Mr Albanese shared this Tweet in February 2020, describing Voice, Truth, Treaty as his vision for the future of Australia

‘The Makarrata Commission will be independent… and will work with a Voice to Parliament when it is established.’ 

Responsibilities of the commission would ‘initially’ include consulting with First Nations communities, recommending a ‘framework for federal treaty-making’ and, crucially, delivering a report within the first term of a Labor government.

Adventure is out there. Travel changes you.By that schedule, the commission will have had to be established and had enough time to consult the community and deliberate by 2025, when the next election is due. 

tags:
What do you think?

Related ~

Articles