Australia’s second-longest serving prime minister John Howard said that the country is “lucky” to have been colonised by the Britishers.
He made these remarks in reference to the upcoming referendum that is due to take place this year to give the Indigenous Australians—Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders—a constitutional right to be consulted by the government on laws that impact them.
If the referendum gets through, Australia’s First Peoples will have a greater say over the laws and policies that affect them.
Speaking to Australian Newspaper on his 84th birthday about the upcoming vote, Howard, who led Australia from 1996 until 2007, called colonisation “inevitable”.
“I do hold the view that the luckiest thing that happened to this country was being colonised by the British,” he said.
“Not that they were perfect by any means, but they were infinitely more successful and beneficent colonisers than other European countries.”
He said that aim of the government should have been “how to lift up Aboriginal people, and put them in the mainstream of the community, finding out ways of doing it,” instead of focussing to push for a dedicated “voice” for Indigenous Australians.
Moreover, Howards made a bold prediction by claiming that the Indigenous Voice to parliament will fail “miserably” when Aussies will vote on it.
He argued that the proponents of Indigenous Voice to parliament have not spelt out to Australians how the advisory body will lead to better health, education and social outcomes for Indigenous people.
“Shouldn’t we just be sitting down talking to each other?” he said.
“Not about the Voice, not about reparations, not about treaties, but just talking about how to lift up Aboriginal people, and put them in the mainstream of the community, finding out ways of doing it. It’s going to be hard. It’s going to take a long time. It’s going to be less successful than we would like. But why are we doing this to ourselves?”
The Albanese government has said Australians will vote in the national poll between October and December.
Meanwhile, local media reported that the support for the referendum has been dwindling, and the supporters are urging for the referendum to be delayed or even called off.
A poll by Resolve Political Monitor over the weekend has showed that a majority of NSW voters are now supporting the “No” campaign.
(With inputs from agencies)
