Taxpayer dissatisfaction with the funding provided to Indigenous Australians was expressed by Warren Mundine, a leading campaigner against The Voice. Mundine stated on Oct. 23 that Australian taxpayers were tired of spending billions of dollars without seeing positive outcomes such as longer lifespans, improved education, job opportunities, and housing for Aboriginal people. He also highlighted the limitations on opportunities resulting from single land ownership under the 1992 Mabo decision, which he believed hindered economic development and homeownership in Indigenous communities.
The Mabo decision led to the Native Title Act in 1993, granting Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities collective land rights. However, Mundine argued that the inability to own individual houses on their land limited investment and job creation. He urged authorities to address these issues and criticized the large Indigenous trust accounts in Western Australia and the Northern Territory, which he claimed were not benefiting the communities living in poverty.
Mundine found it “bizarre” that proceeds from community-owned land had to go through trust accounts, treating everyone equally regardless of their contributions. He called on NSW Premier Chris Minns to address Native Title land rights before making promises regarding a treaty with Indigenous peoples. Although the housing situation has improved, with about 81.4 percent of Indigenous people living in appropriately sized housing, the national target of 88 percent has not been met yet, according to the Productivity Commission’s Closing the Gap Report.
These comments from Mundine follow the rejection of the “Indigenous Voice to Parliament” by 60 percent of Australian voters on Oct. 14. The Voice referendum aimed to establish an advisory body for Indigenous Australians in Parliament through a constitutional amendment. Mundine argued that while Australians wanted to recognize Indigenous Australians in the Constitution, they did not see The Voice as a practical solution.
Mundine emphasized the importance of Indigenous education programs as a key to opening doors and called on the federal government to fully support programs that yielded real results, such as the Australian Indigenous Education Foundation. Labor Indigenous Minister Linda Burney emphasized the need to listen to Indigenous Australians and focus on practical measures that would benefit future generations. Early development outcomes and tertiary qualification rates were also identified as areas needing improvement.
Jacinta Price, a Liberal senator and No advocate, argued that the gap existed between marginalized communities rather than solely between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australia. Price emphasized the need to prioritize efforts and resources for the most marginalized, especially those in remote communities facing language barriers and other challenges.