Yes Voice advocate Teela Reid attacks Australia and pushes for Australia Day to be abolished

Australia
By William

Senior Yes campaigner labels Australia a ‘nation without soul’ and calls for national holiday on January 26 to be abolished

  • Voting lawyer says Australia is soulless
  • Also says Australia is based on racism
  • Teela Reid wants Australia Day to be abolished

By David Southwell for Daily Mail Australia

published: | Updated:

An architect and adviser to Voice To Parliament says the country is based on racism, has no soul and thinks Australia Day should be scrapped.

Sydney lawyer Teela Reid is a member of the Voice Referendum Engagement Group, which advises the government on ‘building community understanding, awareness and support’.

Ms Reid has set out her strong views on Australia and Indigenous affairs in a series of tweets this year, saying the vote would be the first step in “redistributing power”.

“Australia can’t handle the truth,” she wrote on her account.

“There’s no point in blackfullas trying to explain our pain to a soulless nation, that is, to white Australia, to do the work on themselves, not the mob.”

Sydney lawyer Teela Reid (pictured) is a prominent Voice architect and advocate who says Australia is based on racism

In another tweet she claimed that: ‘racism is synonymous with Australia’.

Australia wouldn’t exist without racism. Racism has nothing to do with the color of your skin, it has everything to do with power and privilege,” she wrote.

Ms. Reid appeared alongside Stan Grant during ABC’s controversial coverage of King Charles III’s coronation in May.

The segment focused heavily on the impact monarchy and colonization have had on Aboriginal Australians and people of color and sparked backlash.

In June, Ms Reid contradicted Indigenous Australians Minister Linda Burney’s denials that The Voice would provide advice on Australia Day.

“It’s really disingenuous to say the mafia won’t be demanding on #AbolishAustralia day,” she tweeted.

“It started decades before the referendum, it will still be a demand afterwards.”

Ms Burney said June, the advisory body set up by The Voice, would not be interested in changing the date of Australia Day.

“I can tell you what The Voice won’t advise on. It will not advise on parking fines,” she said.

“It will not advise on changing Australia Day. It won’t be advice about all the ridiculous things that party has come up with.’

Ms Reid has indicated that it is not enough to change the date of Australia Day and that it should be abolished or renamed.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has described Ms Reid as part of a

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has described Ms Reid as part of a “remarkable” generation of young Indigenous leaders

‘How very Aussie is this; Let’s ignore history, find another meaningless date to celebrate and forget that the Blaks ever declared January 26 a day of mourning,” she tweeted.

“It’s always been #AbolishAustraliaDay to change the date is a loophole.”

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese described Ms Reid in January as part of the next generation of “remarkable” indigenous leaders.

She was a working group leader in drafting the Uluru Statement of the Heart, the foundational document proposing to recognize indigenous peoples in the constitution through the establishment of the vote.

Earlier she called for reparations to the indigenous population.

Daily Mail Australia contacted Ms Reid for comment.

In the period from October to December, the referendum will be held to determine the Voice.

To pass it must receive an overall majority vote and also gain approval in a majority of states.

What we know so far about the Voice to Parliament

Here, Daily Mail Australia looks at some of the top questions on the Voice so far, and how the government has addressed them:

What advice can The Voice give to parliament and the government?

The Voice advises on matters directly related to indigenous peoples.

It will respond to government requests, while also having the power to proactively address issues they believe affect them.

The group will have its own resources to research and engage with communities at grassroots level to ensure it best reflects their needs.

How are the members of the Voice chosen?

Members of the Voice are appointed by indigenous communities and will serve on the committee for a fixed period to be determined.

The way the communities elect their representatives is agreed upon by the local communities in conjunction with the government as part of a ‘post-referendum process’ to ensure cultural legitimacy.

Who can join the committee?

Members of the Voice must be Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander.

They are elected from every state and territory and have a balanced representation of men and women at the national level.

The government has also guaranteed that young people will be included on the committee to ensure representation across the broad scope of the community.

Will the vote be transparent?

The government states that The Voice will be subject to auditing and reporting requirements to ensure it is held accountable and remains transparent.

Voice members will be held to National Anti-Corruption Commission standards and will be disciplined or removed from the committee if misconduct is found.

Will the Voice have veto power?

No.

Does The Voice operate independently of other government agencies?

The committee must respect the work and role of existing organizations, says the government.

Will the voice handle money?

The Voice will not manage money directly or provide services to the community.

Its sole role will be to comment on improving existing government programs and services, and advise on new ideas coming through the parties.

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