In the Old Testament, when things were looking grim for the Israelites and supporters were thin on the ground, God issued a call for help. “Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, ‘Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?’ And I said, ‘Here am I Lord. Send me!’” (Isaiah 6:8). Straight away, Isaiah had put his hand up and said “I’ll do it”! Prophetic times indeed.
In this David and Goliath battle against the tsunami that is both the Voice and the rapid ‘Aboriginalisation’ of Australia, who is there to rail against it? Who is on our side? This essay takes a brief look at the current state of play for the ‘No’ campaign.
The major player is now the Liberal Party. At least the Liberal leader Peter Dutton has come out against the Voice, although their ‘alternative’ proposal is problematic. We need to be VERY careful about any ‘recognition’ given to Aboriginal people in our Constitution so that we can be ABSOLUTLEY SURE – beyond a shadow of a doubt – that such recognition cannot later be used to pave the way for Aboriginal sovereignty via the High Court and the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. I’m not sure that the Liberals fully understand that, although Julian Leeser should. The Liberals other suggestion of ‘regional’ voices just seems like some sort of consolation prize and is totally unnecessary. The absolute profusion of myriad Aboriginal organisations can already do a more than adequate job of representing Aboriginal people.
In that vein, what about the Shire Councils that cover many of the affected remote areas, for example, the MacDonnell Regional Council, where all of the elected members are Aborigines: https://www.macdonnell.nt.gov.au/governance/councillors And the Central Desert Regional Council, where all of the elected members are also Aborigines: https://centraldesert.nt.gov.au/elected-members
These two Councils cover the entire bottom half of the NT – so why do they need any more representation?
Anyway, at least we can count on some Liberal party support, notwithstanding the dissenters within the Liberal party who are already whiteanting the ‘No’ stance. If they disagree they should follow Ken Wyatt out the door and resign. For Dutton to allow backbenchers their own ‘conscience vote’ as it were, simply destroys any semblance of party unity which of course further undermines the Liberal party itself and any perception of cohesion by the public. They can and should do better.
Find the ‘Liberal Party’ at: https://www.liberal.org.au/
Next comes the coalition’s junior partner, The Nationals, who to their great credit, and undoubtedly inspired and motivated by the indomitable Jacinta Price, were first out of the gate in opposing the Voice. The Nationals are for the most part already preaching to the converted in the city-country divide. It’s well known that in conservative matters, regional, rural and remote area people are far more likely to be conservatives, but as more people move from the big cities to large and growing regional centres that is changing. The conservatives will not have it all their own way for much longer, especially with the changing demographics of aging baby-boomers, increasing migrants and socialist indoctrinated Gen-X’ers, Millenials and Gen-Zed’ers.
The National’s greatest asset and standout in this matter is Jacinta Price, and whilst aided by Matt Canavan, it would be very useful if other Nationals MP’s would come out in greater support for the ‘No’ case. Their silence undermines the party’s position and makes them look weak. Are they really serious about defeating the Voice?
Find ‘The Nationals’ at: https://nationals.org.au/
One of Canberra’s outlier’s is One Nation, around since 1996. Pauline Hanson has long been tainted with the ‘racist’ brush although she has never deserved that label. Hanson has never been a racist – indeed, for those who know her, the absolute opposite is the case; even many Aboriginal people know that to be true. Pauline is a fighter and a stayer – you’ve got to admire her – she’s got guts! Needless to say, Pauline is totally opposed to the Voice for many very good reasons, remarkably in the main because of just how racist it is! In addition to Pauline, Malcolm Roberts has been a standout performer for One Nation, always the voice of practical reason, and never defeated by his socialist tormentors, especially in the realm of ‘climate change’.
Unfortunately, Mark Latham in New South Wales, who was looking good there for a while and could have been a positive conservative force, has badly soiled his own nest and is likely to be sidelined for a long time to come. Banned from Sky News he may never recover. Nevertheless, One Nation overall has a fairly permanent support base that is unlikely to change, or grow, so their influence on the referendum is likely to be small, again preaching to their already converted heartland.
Find ‘One Nation’ at: https://www.onenation.org.au/
There’s not much to say about Labor, the Greens or the Teals and Independents, who all seem so absorbed and enmeshed with socialist ideology and belief in their own propaganda that they’re a lost cause. They have drunk of the fountain of cool-aid many moons ago. For many, their fate is irredeemably sealed.
Then we have two main conservative ‘think tanks’, one the Sydney-based ‘Centre for Independent Studies’ (CIS) and the other, the Melbourne-based ‘Institute for Public Affairs’ (IPA). Both have their problems.
The CIS produces much fine and detailed research yet often seems to play the middle ground. Perhaps this is born of the need to keep their financiers happy and to keep their feet under the table with politicians, the government of the day, and the bureaucratic elites, so they have to tread carefully and not really offend anyone. They are expected to fulfil their role as a provocative and thoughtful public research and opinion agency, but not too much so they might risk actually offending someone. Their ‘Indigenous’ arm of publications, now run by Warren Mundine (who took over from Jacinta Price) as Director of the CIS ‘Indigenous Forum’, has provided regular commentary against the Voice in favour of the No case and that is pleasing to see.
The CIS cannot be counted upon to make any really strong statements about anything. It seems that self-preservation is the order of the day, rather than actually standing up for anything, and so the game continues. The CIS has a limited and select group of supporters and adherents.
Find the ‘CIS’ at: https://www.cis.org.au/
Although prepared to speak out a little more clearly and forcefully, the IPA is in much the same boat as the CIS. Again, they play the political game within defined limits so as to preserve their access and existence. That’s not to say that either the CIS or the IPA fail to produce any real change. Both organisations produce excellent research material which whilst not always picked up by any mainstream media, still nevertheless has an impact on some politicians, academics and bureaucrats who follow their work. The problem is that much of their fine work fails to cut through, influence, or even be heard at all by the general public. Both the CIS and the IPA play a role in advocating against the Voice, but neither will ever likely be major players in the campaign, which is unfortunate. The IPA too has a limited and select group of supporters and adherents.
Find the ‘IPA’ at: https://ipa.org.au/
Then we have the ‘Conservative Political Action Conference’ or CPAC as it’s more commonly known, being the Australian version of the American organisation of the same name. This organisation runs an annual conservative conference with a range of speakers who promote conservative causes and values, but during the rest of the year they don’t do very much at all. Whilst there are some big names attached to CPAC, its overall impact is quite limited, again having a limited and select group of supporters and adherents. Perhaps they could become much more active?
Find ‘CPAC’ at: https://www.cpac.network/
So in prosecuting the ‘No’ case, that leaves us with the following four self-declared organisations:
‘Advance Australia’, which seems to be the prime leader in the field at the moment, with experience over some years and their earlier campaigns having now gathered resources both financial and with volunteers. Whilst they have some exposure (most of it negative in the mainstream media) nevertheless, they too are for the moment keeping their powder dry and are yet to launch any big campaign. Hopefully, they will announce their plans in the near future.
Find ‘Advance Australia’ at: https://www.advanceaustralia.org.au/
‘Recognise A Better Way’ (‘The Voice No Case Committee Incorporated’), originally established with Jacinta Price, who departed the group soon after its foundation, is now fronted by Warren Mundine. They have a good line-up of conservative heavy-hitters with a lot of experience in political campaigns, so it’s to be hoped they can deliver when the time comes. To date they seem to have limited exposure so their impact will depend upon how much they can raise by way of finances and volunteers to fund and run a large public campaign. Some of their members seem to share a connection with the CIS.
Find ‘Recognise A Better Way’ at: https://www.recogniseabetterway.org.au/
‘Fair Australia’, after leaving ‘Recognise A Better Way’ after only a week or two, Jacinta Price moved straight on to launch ‘Fair Australia’, based in Kingston, Canberra. Even though seeming rather ‘Jacinta-centric’, they do look as if they’re gearing up for a full scale campaign, so it’ll be interesting to see how much financial and volunteer support they garner, as without both there cannot be much of a campaign. Watch this space.
Find ‘Fair Australia’ at: https://www.fairaustralia.com.au/
‘Dark Emu Exposed’, is the amazing work of a small band of people diligently working away in the background to expose, inter alia, Aboriginal fakers. These researchers specialise in forensic genealogical research and have successfully managed to cast doubt upon the genuineness of many prominent Australians claiming to be of Aboriginal descent, key among them being the infamous Bruce Pascoe, Lisa Jackson Pulver, Kerrie Doyle, and South Australia’s own Attorney-General, Kyam Maher. Needless to say, none of Dark Emu Exposed’s meticulous work has been picked up by any mainstream media outlets, although Andrew Bolt did run a piece on Kyam Maher which was ignored by everyone! Dark Emu Exposed is also examining the myths of the ‘Stolen Generations’ and other elements of the fraudulent Aboriginal industry. It remains to be seen if they will run a more vocal ‘No’ campaign in the future.
Find ‘Dark Emu Exposed’ at: https://www.dark-emu-exposed.org/
And what of the print and television media? Well, there are really only two magazines worth looking at, and the Murdoch papers and one TV station:
‘Quadrant’ Magazine and ‘Quadrant Online’ are the ‘go-to’ publications if you want to know what’s really going on in Australia. Both the monthly magazine and daily online versions provide incisive insights into contemporary issues in Australia and internationally. Their varied authors cover a wide range of expertise and the analysis of issues pertaining to the Voice is exceptional. Further, it was the remarkable research of Quadrant Editor Keith Windschuttle who exposed what is being done to Australia by an Aboriginal elite in his remarkable work “The Break-up of Australia: The Real Agenda Behind Aboriginal Recognition”, a must read for all concerned Australians.
Find ‘Quadrant Online’ at: https://quadrant.org.au/
‘Spectator Australia’ is a version of its conservative UK parent and covers a wide range of topics, including the Voice. A big drawback to receiving The Spectator on a weekly basis is its cost, and then only a small portion of the magazine is devoted to Australian issues. As the Australian content is small and there are only irregular contributions regarding the Voice, the Spectator has likely a very low influence on the public debate.
Find ‘The Spectator’ at https://www.spectator.com.au/
The ‘News Corp’ papers, and in particular The Australian, tend to have a more balanced coverage from reputable authors and journalists, trending in favour of the ‘No’ case. That is to say, they are not just full of ‘pro-voice’ rhetoric and propaganda as so many other publications seem to be. We can be very thankful for Andrew Bolt and Rita Panahi who are published widely in a range of Murdoch-owned mastheads across Australia. There is hope here for a balanced view.
Find The Australian at: https://www.theaustralian.com.au/
And we can forget about ‘The Guardian’ derisively (and accurately) referred to by Sky News’ Paul Murray as the ‘Turnbull Times’! I guess in the old days we’d just call that a socialist rag. Don’t bother looking for ‘The Guardian’.
‘Sky News’ is the hero of the television media! All I can say is thank goodness for Sky News – where would we be without them! Without the great work of Andrew Bolt, Peta Credlin, Paul Murray, Rowan Dean, Rita Panahi, Caleb Bond, Daisy Cousens, Warren Mundine and many others, we would be wholly subjected to the pernicious ‘Yes’ case propaganda that emanates particularly from the ABC, SBS, NITV and the other commercial television stations. However, as for the foolish Chris Kenny, who clings on to his misconceived support for the Voice, he is deliberately excluded from the above list. It’s long overdue for you to wake up Mr Kenny!
Find ‘Sky News’ at:
https://www.skynews.com.au/ and their Voice coverage at: https://www.skynews.com.au/australia-news/voice-to-parliament
Regarding the rest of the mainstream media, the ‘No’ vote campaigners apparently have no friends or support from any mainstream media agencies.
So there it is – a truly David and Goliath battle that we MUST win. Lord knows, we need to call the archers to the parapets and the infantry to the trenches! If you can’t join the fight at the front lines, can you at least be a financial supporter? Have a look at the various organisations and decide who you’d like to support. Contact them and offer your services, your time and your money. Only then can we raise the forces to win this battle.
As the rather hackneyed quotation from Edmund Burke says, “The only thing necessary for evil to triumph is that good men do nothing.” Are you a good man – or woman? Are you an Isaiah? We need you! Will you put your hand up and fight?
