While 69 per cent of Queensland voterssaid No to the Voice,some electorates around Brisbane leaned Yes,along with many regions wheremost residents are Indigenous.
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Polling for this masthead found the claim pushed by the federal LNP that the proposal would divide the country by race wasthe most convincing reason to vote No.
Work on the state Path to Treaty had been largely under the radar since the bipartisan passage of laws in May,despite some reported internal LNP frustration,and the weekend referendum result.
The new stance from Crisafulli,who voted No but did not actively campaign or stop his MPs from doing sofor either side,has now thrust the topic and new policy rift with Palaszczuk’s government back into public view as Laborlags in the polls before an election next October.
Labor MPs called an unscheduled caucus meeting on Thursday afternoon,with Left faction members reportedly seeking assurances about Palaszczuk’s commitment to treaties. LNP’s shadow cabinet unanimously supported the change.
What they said
In a statement,Human Rights Commissioner Scott McDouggall said Queenslanders had rejected what was a specific model of Indigenous constitutional recognition and representation but “sweeping assumptions” were being made because of this.
“Now is not the time for rash decision-making,but rather a time for proper reflection,for consultation,” he said.
“Racing to interpret the referendum results as an overall rejection of reconciliation and treaty is dangerous and short-sighted.
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“Treaties are,by definition,agreements between parties. It seems nonsensical to suggest that the pursuit of an agreement could be described as divisive.”
Ina defensive press conference,Crisafulli repeatedly tried to conflate the “bruising” Voice campaign and result with the separate state treaty path,saying he had to make the call to avoid “another six months of what we’ve seen”.
Crisafulli floated alternatives including issue-based targets and accountability for ministers. He did not explain how this would bedifferent to current approaches.
While insisting he “consulted widely” on the issue,Crisafulli confirmed he did not flag the decision with any Indigenous leaders before announcing it.
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Mick Gooda,a Gangulu man and a key figure in the lengthy Path to Treaty process so far,earlier this week said treaties negotiated by individual First Nations groups would be a “once-in-a-lifetime” opportunity.
What’s next
Under the Path to Treaty,the “non-adversarial” inquiry to begin in 2024would hear about historical and contemporary Indigenous issues across three years,though this could be extended.