Episode 29: The People's Constitution by Bronwyn Kelly (Chapter 7 - Parts 5 & 6)

In Episode 29 Bronwyn Kelly reads Chapter 7 Parts 5 and 6 of her book, The People's Constitution: the path to empowerment of Australians in a 21st century democracy. In Part 5 Bronwyn refers to the fact that there is a problem of injustice in the Australian state arising from the brutal dispossession of First Nations. In the Uluru Statement from the Heart, however, Australians have been offered the chance to restore justice for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders. In this regard, First Nations have proposed a Makarrata - a process for coming together after a struggle. But there is a problem for successful development of a just reconciliation in that the Australian State has proven itself to be untrustworthy as a treaty negotiator. Additionally, Australia’s Constitution and legal systems are not structured to countenance the concept of a multiplicity of sovereignties and self-determination for all its populace. Bronwyn argues that until the current exclusive system of power in Australia is replaced with an inclusive system in which everyone can have a voice, a just treaty with First Nations is not likely to be viable. A people’s national voice must be enshrined as the political right of all Australians and it must coexist with an enshrined Indigenous Voice.In Part 6 Bronwyn discusses how the failure of our political systems in Australia has brought us to the brink of a climate catastrophe. She suggests that the Australian economy needs to be restructured to ensure future generations have a decent standard of living but that this can only occur if Australians are given a space to specify how the economy should be restructured according to their will. For this, we need democratic arrangements which enable us to assemble our national voice. We will need to create an orderly framework in which we can integrate the strategies most likely to push us towards a sustainable future before we are overwhelmed by climate change. We need National Integrated Planning and Reporting and enshrinement in the Constitution of the right to participate in this process. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit bronwynkelly.substack.com