Burney and Labor criticise Indigenous voice timeline

Labor has stuck the boot into the coalition as it walks back from introducing an Indigenous voice to advise government ahead of the election.

Linda burney labor Indigenous voice

Shadow Minister for Indigenous Australians Linda Burney says the report does not guarantee a voice enshrined in the constitution Source: AAP

The shadow minister for Indigenous Australians Linda Burney has accused the government of kicking the can down the road on the Voice to Parliament. 

"There is now no hope in the world that the coalition will even get a legislated voice to the parliament before the election," she told ABC radio on Friday.

Labor remains committed to establishing a constitutionally enshrined Indigenous voice.

It would also set up a commission to facilitate truth telling and treaty negotiations.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison indicated he was not in a rush to introduce legislation for a voice ahead of a probable 2022 poll.

He told parliament this week once a model was developed it would be up to governments to explore how it would work in practice.

"Some might want this process to be faster. I want it to be right."

Indigenous Australians Minister Ken Wyatt echoed the sentiment, after previously committing to bringing in legislation before the election.

The federal government is bringing in $1.1 billion of measures aimed at helping close the wellbeing gap between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians.

This includes a redress scheme for Northern Territory, ACT and Jervis Bay Territory Stolen Generation survivors.
They can apply for payments totalling $82,000 from March 2022.

Meanwhile, the vaccination rate for Indigenous Australians is about half that of the general population.

Just 11.7 per cent of people identifying as Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander were fully vaccinated as of Tuesday.

The health department does not include these figures in its daily vaccine updates.

The latest on Friday showed 20.8 per cent of all Australians aged 16 and older were double-dosed.


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Published 6 August 2021 11:47am
Source: AAP


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