A speech by the veteran journalist and Wiradjuri man Stan Grant to the Ethics Centre in Sydney was a “tour de force” and the “companion to PM Paul Keating’s speech at Redfern Park in 1992”, Noel Pearson has told the National Press Club.

In his wide-ranging address the Indigenous lawyer and founder of the Cape York Institute for Policy and Leadership also said it was time to end department and minister-led policy for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and that he regretted the ousting of the former prime minister Tony Abbott.

Pearson began his address by remarking on Grant’s speech, which was delivered last year but captured international attention this month.

read more: http://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2016/jan/27/noel-pearson-stan-grants-tour-de-force-a-companion-to-keatings-redfern-speech

Former prime minister Tony Abbott has taken aim at Malcolm Turnbull for saying it is fair to describe Australia's colonisation as an invasion.

With a week-and-a-half to go until the federal election, Mr Abbott has given a wide-ranging interview to conservative commentator Andrew Bolt, and sent a strong signal he intends to be an advocate for conservative values within the Coalition.

On the use of the term "invasion" in describing the colonisation of Australia, the former leader took the opposite view to the Prime Minister's.

"The facts are very well known, this country was Aboriginal land," Mr Turnbull said last week.

Bolt asked Mr Abbott on Wednesday night: "Do you agree Australia was invaded by whites?"

"I certainly wouldn't use the word invasion," the former Liberal leader replied.

"The terminology I use is settlement.

"If that's too benign, fair enough, say Australia was occupied if you like."

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-06-23/tony-abbott-at-odds-with-malcolm-turnbull-over-invasion/7535132

Australia had what is called "frontier wars" against Aboriginal people fighting back for their land. These wars were ignored by the whitewash of history. The USA and Canada were invaded in the same manner... but their battle against the Indians were Hollywoodised to make the invasion pass as a heroic venture. A lot of African "tribes" were invaded in the same way as wqell, but the number of people prevailed. This has led to a conscience moral awakening creating  a "reversal" of colonialism — though economic colonialism is still in place today... including the ransacking of these "economies" via vulture funds, wars and religious conflicts...

Two former Liberal prime ministers have outright rejected a treaty with Indigenous Australians, as public debate continues about the merits of holding a referendum to acknowledge Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.

• Talk of treaty "appalling", John Howard says
• "Treaty is something two nations make with each other," Tony Abbott says
• Real issue is the scope of referendum question, Mr Howard says

John Howard has described talk of a treaty as "appalling", and Tony Abbott says he has never supported the idea.

The comments come ahead of a new report on consultations about the referendum question.

The interim document has been prepared by the Referendum Council — a group of Indigenous and non-Indigenous representatives, and is expected to be handed to the major parties this week.

Changes to the constitution could include an acknowledgement that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people were the first Australians.

There is a further option to strip the constitution of any racially discriminatory references.

A more controversial proposal includes adding a fresh prohibition against race discrimination in the document.

Given Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull is still overseas attending international summits, he is unlikely to consider the document until his return on the weekend.

The Referendum Council has acknowledged a building campaign for the Government to consider the report, or a series of treaties, alongside or instead of the referendum.

The Opposition is open to the idea of concurrent consultations on a treaty, potentially along the lines of agreements struck between Indigenous peoples and governments in New Zealand and Canada.

read more: http://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-09-08/conservatives-lock-in-against-treaty-with-indigenous-australians/7825298

One could not expect anything more from these two racist idiots...

After days of hesitation, former prime minister Tony Abbott has given a conditional yes to taking on the job of Indigenous envoy.

• Former PM Tony Abbott conditionally agrees to become Indigenous affairs envoy
• Earlier in the week he was reluctant, saying he did not want a title without a role
• Labor has been scathing about the offer to Mr Abbott

Prime Minister Scott Morrison did not ask Mr Abbott to be a minister in his new Government, but instead asked him to take on the role of envoy.

Mr Abbott appeared reluctant, saying he needed to know the precise terms of what was being proposed.

"I don't just want a title without a role," Mr Abbott told 2GB on Monday.

He said it was not clear how the role would interact with the minister and other Indigenous bodies.

Labor's Assistant Indigenous Affairs spokesman Pat Dodson has slammed the offer and Mr Abbott's record when he was PM.

Senator Dodson said Mr Abbott's government cut $500 million from the Indigenous Affairs budget and had not been "overly empathetic".

Last year's "Uluru statement from the Heart", which was produced by a gathering of 250 Indigenous leaders, called for a voice to be enshrined in the constitution.

Senator Dodson said that statement was a call by Indigenous people to "have a voice where their views are put forward themselves rather than by some sort of intermediary whose record quite frankly is appalling".

"The First Nations people have asked the Government for a voice and we get Tony Abbott," he told Radio National.

Read more:

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-08-29/abbott-set-to-accept-indigenous-en...