Taking liberties with Indigenous civil liberties

The Labor Party has made it clear that Mundine’s views are not a reflection of a change in ALP policy on Indigenous land rights.

So the battles of the egos have begun and all this before the NIC have formally met.

As far as I’m concerned these NIC eminent people do not have a mandate from the Indigenous population to speak for, or on behalf, of them. As my father said at the Foreign Affairs Council, “No one knows Australia like an Aboriginal … no one is an Australian as an Aboriginal … no one can tell us what we want or what we need more than our own people. No one can spread this message further than an Aboriginal.” By that he meant an elected Aboriginal and yes Mr Howard we wish to regain our fundamental civil liberty - the right to vote and elect our leaders.

And if this sounds all very old fashioned try telling the voters in Afghanistan or Iraq that their votes don’t count.

Better still John Howard try telling the women of Australia they no longer have the right to vote and that you have selected a group of eminent people to make decisions on their behalf.