Anthony Albanese Voice vote slammed by Aboriginal Tiwi Islands leader Uncle ... trends now

2

View
comments

An Indigenous leader has lashed Anthony Albanese over the Voice referendum saying his community hasn't 'been told anything' about it.

Uncle Francis Xavier Kurrupuwu, an Elder from the Tiwi Islands which sit 85km off Darwin's shore at the top end of the Northern Territory, said he and his community are 'completely confused' about what the Indigenous Voice to Parliament will entail. 

'We haven't been told anything,' he told news.com.au. 

'It's disgraceful. They say what they want to say without any consultation in the community.'

Mr Kurrupuwu, who was elected to the Northern Territory Legislative Assembly from 2012 to 2016 as a Country Liberal Party member, said the lack of information had been 'shocking' and demanded the Prime Minister visit remote communities.

'We want to meet Mr Albanese,' he said.

'I expect them to be on the ground, they need to be consulting at a grassroots level. I've been involved in organisations and it is the same old thing. 

'We are still left in the darkness as Aboriginal people in the Territory. I don't think that will change.' 

Mr Kurrupuwu indicated that he would not vote for the Voice because he did think it would lead to concrete improvements for Indigenous people in 'education, health and employment'. 

A spokesman for the Tiwi Land Council, where 80 per cent of the 2600 people who live on the islands are Indigenous, said it had yet to develop a formal position on the Voice.

The council also said they expected information sessions to be held on the Tiwi Islands later in the year.

Lingiari Labor MP Marion Scrymgour, whose electorate includes the Tiwi Islands, said there was plentiful information available about the

read more from dailymail.....