Prominent Voice of No activist Warren Mundine has called a proposal to exempt indigenous people from land tax a “brain fart”, claiming the law would not help.
Victorian Premier Jacinta Allan will allow talks on land tax breaks for the state’s Indigenous population to take place in treaty negotiations later this year.
Allan’s green light for talks comes days after prominent Indigenous elder Jill Gallagher AO pushed the case for a number of financial benefits that the government should consider for the treaty.
Speaking to the First Victorian People’s Assembly, held in Geelong over the weekend, Ms Gallagher said: “Aboriginal people should be exempt from land tax [including stamp duty] and municipal rates.
The proposal received a mixed response, with many indigenous figures, including indigenous senator Jacinta Nampijinpa Price, criticizing the idea.
Mundine weighed in on Wednesday’s debate, calling the idea of Indigenous people receiving property tax cuts a “brain fart.”
Leading Voice of No referendum campaigner Warren Mundine criticized a proposal to exempt indigenous people from land tax, calling the reform a “brain fart”.
“It’s not going to do anything for Aboriginal people,” Mundine told Sky News’ The Bolt Report.
‘I don’t know how many Aboriginal people are going to receive help.
“It’s not going to stop crime, it’s not going to stop deaths in custody, it’s not going to get kids to go to school, it’s not going to get parents to find jobs, it’s not going to get housing, it’s not going to stop achieve everything and expand our lives.’
Mundine accused the nation’s “elites” of pushing radical reforms such as the land tax exemption and claimed they did not represent the interests of Aboriginal people.
He highlighted that his family found success in their professional and personal lives through hard work in the mid-20th century.
‘It’s called work. “My grandparents bought their own house in the 1930s and my parents bought their house in the 1940s,” Mr. Mundine said.
‘I bought my house in the 1970s and my children bought their houses in the 2000s. One of my granddaughters is saving money to get her house.
‘We have five generations of Aboriginal people who have had their own home, been educated, got jobs and worked for it.
‘I live in Sydney because I am an economic refugee. My parents come from the jungle, they were very poor and hardworking, but they still raised money to buy a house.’
All Australian states and territories, except the Northern Territory, have mandatory taxes for owners of commercial and investment properties, holiday homes and vacant land.
Land tax does not apply to a person’s primary place of residence, even if they own the home.
Prominent Indigenous elder Jill Gallagher AO (pictured) pushed the case for a range of financial benefits the government should consider for a national treaty.
In her speech to the First Victorian People’s Assembly, Ms Gallagher argued that Aboriginal people should be exempt from land tax. [including stamp duty] and municipal rates (pictured, an indigenous woman holding a sign that reads “Always was, always will be” at the invasion day protest)
Dr. Gallagher, a proud Gunditjmara woman, made other recommendations for the treaty outside of homeownership lawsuits.
Other recommendations included the restoration of languages and cultures at a local level, exemptions from HECS/HELP fees for tertiary education loans, the teaching of Aboriginal history in local schools and the “general visibility of Aboriginal culture”.
He also suggested the government establish an Aboriginal-specific Productivity Commission in Victoria, provide designated seats on local councils and create an infrastructure fund.
The former Treaty Advancement Commissioner said she believed the reforms would help close the gap between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians.
Indigenous senator Jacinta Nampijinpa Price, who campaigned against Indigenous Voice in Parliament, described the proposals as “extravagant and insulting”, saying they will create more division.
“These separatist policies have failed and were rejected by the Australian people in the referendum,” he said.
Dr. Gallagher has served as executive director of the Victorian Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organization (VACCHO) since 2001.