Former Liberal frontbencher supports referendum as a way of getting First Nations people ‘to the same starting line’ as other Australians
The Liberal MP Julian Leeser says a voice to parliament is not about “special treatment or privileges” but about gettingAmidst rising partisan rancour in the referendum debate, with his own side leading the charge for the no campaign, Leeser told parliament he supported the voice because it was a manifestation of “deeply Liberal and conservative ideas”.
Leeser said establishing a constitutionally enshrined advisory body was about “Indigenous children, their lives and their future; and trying to create the conditions so that Indigenous children can walk confidently in two worlds”. “In our country, the Indigenous employment rate is around 49% – this compares with 75% for non indigenous Australians,” he said. “In terms of household income, the latest data of the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare has found that 43% of Indigenous adults receive a total weekly pre-tax income of $500 a week or less. The poverty line in Australia is $489 a week for a single person. Almost one in two Indigenous adults live on the poverty line.
Empathy was “not about accepting and embracing people because we can see ourselves in them – it is about standing with people and their right to dignity, freedom, and self-expression when we can’t see the similarities”.“I want to invite all Australians to lift up their eyes, and despite their own challenges, to see the gap that does not close,” he said.
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