Leading No campaigners at odds over treaty, Australia Day

Mundine said he supported treaties with local Aboriginal groups to protect Indigenous heritage and culture, but said he opposed any form of national treaty with First Nations people.

Asked whether treaties would be more likely to eventuate under a Yes or No vote, Mundine said: “I have serious problems if it is a Yes vote because these people are looking at putting on top of the First Nation native title and land rights stuff another body of bureaucracy.

“We don’t need another body of bureaucracy; we need to recognise the traditional owners.”

Describing himself as a proud “change-the-date person”, Mundine stood by his previously expressed view that Australia Day should be moved from January 26.

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“We’re going through this perennial, annual argument which is not helping us – we’re just arguing and arguing and arguing about this,” he said.

Asked if there was a contradiction between his view and that of other No campaigners, he said: “That’s correct. I always stand strong on this. I know people on my side don’t agree with me on these two issues: treaties and the changing of the date.”

Price said last week that she fears treaty and reparations for Indigenous people would be the Voice’s two top priorities, adding that she opposed treaties because “you can’t have treaty with your own citizens”.

She has also rejected the push to change Australia Day, saying that changing the date would not improve the lives of Aboriginal people and describing January 26 as a “magical day”.

The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age last week revealed that leading No activist group Advance was instructing campaigners to use doubts about a treaty to help sway undecided voters to vote against the Voice.

A script used by volunteers for the group states: “I’ve also heard that some of the people who helped design the Voice proposal are campaigning to abolish Australia Day and want to use the Voice to push for compensation and reparations through a treaty.

Jacinta Price and husband Colin Lillie feature in a Fair Australia ad campaign.Credit:

“All of these things raised a few questions in my mind and made me wonder if there was more to it all than meets the eye”.

Commenting on the ongoing impact of colonisation on Indigenous people, Mundine said: “If you look at the history of humanity, just about every race, every religious group, every country in the world has been colonised, has been invaded … even look at England, for instance.

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“We call them Anglo-Saxons. Why do we call them Anglo-Saxons? Because there are two tribes who invaded and took over the country.

“The question isn’t about the ongoing trauma or neglect like that, but the question is how do we move forward?”

Asked whether he had kicked anyone off his campaign because of racist remarks, Mundine said: “Look, I’ve been very strong about these issues. People know that and you notice that people, some people, aren’t talking anymore.”

Mundine confirmed that he was referring to former Labor MP and prominent Voice opponent Gary Johns, who made several controversial remarks including claiming that blood tests should be taken to prove Aboriginality.