Australian Politics and Policy - Senior, 2019a

Diana Perche and Jason O’Neil
Key terms/names
constitutional recognition, Country, First Nations, First Peoples, Indigenous,
invasion, the Intervention, self-determination, settler colonialism, sovereignty,
treaty/‘Makarrata’ (Yolŋu word)
Indigenous politics is possibly one of the most complex and misunderstood areas
of politics in Australia. Indigenous issues are often presented as particularly
contentious, and the divergence of interests between governments, business, the
community and First Peoples themselves is frequently emphasised. We know that
Indigenous issues do not have much salience in public opinion polls. 1 Nevertheless,
political leaders at both state and federal levels have often sought to use Indigenous
issues to score points in public debates, demonstrating their ideological credentials.
Many debates in Indigenous affairs are framed around deep-seated conflicts over
values such as choice, equality, rights, responsibility, diversity, self-determination
and sovereignty.
The major parties have moved away from the bipartisanship that surrounded
the 1967 constitutional referendum and the passage of the Aboriginal Land Rights
(Northern Territory) Act 1976 (Cth). Instead, over the past three decades, we have
seen divisive and confusing debates around the Mabo case and the recognition of
Perche, Diana, and Jason O’Neil (2019). Indigenous politics. In Peter J. Chen, Nicholas Barry, John
R. Butcher, David Clune, Ian Cook, Adele Garnier, Yvonne Haigh, Sara C. Motta and Marija Taflaga,
eds. Australian politics and policy: senior edition. Sydney: Sydney University Press. DOI: 10.30722/
sup.9781743326671
1 Goot and Rowse 2007.
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