Jacinta Nampijinpa Price has accused the Greens of ignoring the wishes of Australians by pushing for a new Indigenous body in the style of The Voice.
The Coalition for Indigenous Australians spokesman said the proposal to create a Truth and Justice Commission showed the party was “fixated on pushing ideology” rather than listening to Australians.
“The Greens are not interested in what Australia has to say on any issue,” Senator Price told Sky News interviewer Peta Credlin on Monday night.
‘They would rather continue down a path of division within our country, of reinventing culture.
“They infantilise Indigenous Australians and do not focus on meeting the needs of our most marginalised or seek to enhance the economic independence of our marginalised Indigenous Australians.”
The Greens have introduced a bill to establish a 10-member commission that would spend four years investigating “historical and ongoing injustices” against Indigenous Australians.
The proposal echoes the Uluru Statement from the Heart, which conceived the Voice as an advisory body to parliament, as well as a “truth commission” and, ultimately, a treaty between Indigenous Australians and the Commonwealth.
Senator Price argued that, given that more than 60 per cent of voters rejected The Voice in last October’s referendum, Labour would be wrong to press ahead with a truth-telling commission.
Senator Jacinta Nampijinpa Price (pictured) told Sky News presenter Peta Credlin that the Greens were ignoring Australians on Indigenous issues.
“Workers in their right mind should not support it,” he said.
‘They clearly understand the outcome of the referendum, it would not benefit them to support this, but you never know, in their desperation they may choose to do so.
‘They have not been clear with the Australian people, but they need to clarify what they intend to do in terms of the truth commission which they said they still support.
‘Whether for the Greens or for other measures that have not yet been revealed.’
While the Albanian government has not committed to the truth commission, it has pledged $27 million to fund it. Makarrata Commission, which is exploring a proposed treaty between indigenous peoples and the Commonwealth.
Senator Price accused the government of being “very clever” in its indigenous policy plans since the referendum defeat.
“We haven’t heard much, in fact, nothing at all, about anything to do with indigenous politics since the referendum,” he said.
Greens leader Adam Bandt has introduced a bill to establish a Truth and Justice Commission for Indigenous Australians.
“There have been a whole range of problems, a whole range of issues, but there has been nothing proposed going forward about how they are supposed to, once again, support our most marginalised Indigenous Australians.”
Introducing her bill to create a Truth and Justice Commission, Green First Nations spokesperson Dorinda Cox said such a body was even more important.
“People need hope, they need some hope that we want to progress as a nation,” he said.
“We want to make sure that we are making progress in those conversations. We are taking a very bold and courageous step by introducing a bill to parliament that enshrines this issue in legislation.
“This problem is not going away and we need the Labour government to support it.”
