Discussion paper response

Joshua Newham
What is your full name?
Joshua Newham
What is your postal code?
3056
Do you support recognising Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples by changing the Constitution or making some other kind of legal change?
Yes
What should the change look like?
You guys nearly tricked me with this question! Good job, you cheeky buggers! Constitutional Recognition is a sham. Real change would entail Treaties (emphasis on the plural), Land Rights, proper representation and reparations. Further details of my opinio
Should we have a statement that acknowledges the First Peoples of Australia?
Yes. This should be in the Constitution.
Where is the best place to put it?
Right at the start.
What should the statement say?
A great start would be acknowledging that Terra Nullius was a myth. Then, instead of just shallow constitutional recognition it could go on to list all of the treaties signed with the First Peoples of Australia (obviously we haven't gotten to that part ye
Do you have any other comments on a statement about the First Peoples of Australia?
Recognition is a scam. What possible good can constitutional recognition do, more than a century late? All it does is further erode Aboriginal peoples rights and agency, replacing them with a tokenistic gesture. Before so-called Recognition of Aboriginal
Should the word 'race' be taken out of the Constitution?
Yes
Should the Australian Parliament keep the power to make special laws for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples?
No
Do you have any other comments on powers to make laws for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples?
Aboriginal people have suffered under the confused ideologies of Colonialism and Paternalism for too long. Every change of government brings a change of policy, and every few decades brings a change in "what should be done for" Aboriginal people. The "pro
Do you think that a guarantee against racial discrimination should go into the Constitution?
Yes
Do you have any ideas about what words to use for that guarantee, or where in the Constitution to put it?
I'm pretty happy with 18C guys. "Insult", "Offend" and "Humiliate" are all words that describe harassment to me, so changing anything in that regard only further opens the door for people like Andrew "Aboriginal protesters are a selfish rabble" Bolt or G
Should the guarantee protect all Australians against racial discrimination, or only Indigenous Australians?
All Australians
If there is not enough support for a guarantee in the Constitution, what other things can we do to stop racial discrimination in national laws?
Sack George Brandis, and probably Peter Dutton for good measure.
Do you have any other comments on changing the Constitution to stop racial discrimination?
Can we start having televised debates like in the "History Wars" of the 90's where conservative politicians have to have on air debates with educated people to expose their racism and bigotry? I feel like that would go a long way to educating the people o
Do you think Indigenous people should have a say when Parliament and government make laws and policies about Indigenous affairs?
Yes
Should a new Indigenous group be set up under the Constitution to give advice and make sure Indigenous people have a voice in political decisions that affect them?
Yes
Is it worth creating the new group if it can only give advice and does not have the power to block new laws?
No
Do you have any ideas about what the new group would look like?
Made up of a mix of Elders from across the country, elected by Aboriginal people. Each member should have the power to veto any decisions that affect their particular region.
Do you have any other comments on this Indigenous group?
I'm just a whitefella, so I don't matter much on this one. A novel idea is that you could ask Aboriginal people how they want to be represented. In fact, you could even ask them about Constitutional Recognition, rather than the whole country considering i
Should we delete section 25?
Yes
What would we achieve by getting rid of section 25?
Erasing an irrelevant and hypocritical piece of our constitution that no technically means certain races can be banned from voting.
Is there any point in keeping it?
No. It didn't even make sense at the time considering it was meant to punish states for not allowing aboriginal people tot vote, yet allowed them to do so.
Do you have any other comments?
How does section 25 even still exist? It's like 120 years out of date. Oh, wait... Australia...
Are you making a submission on behalf of a person (such as yourself) or organisation?
Individual