@zipperlip seeing I had the pleasure of your company and hospitality - and vice versa - I am sad you think of me as 'simple' -
I 'simply' thought it was the right thing to do vis-a-vis the first inhabitants of a country I came to as a migrant and having experienced first-hand the awful way white 'Aussies' - (and they themselves were nothing to write home about in working-class 'sinny' ) - expressed themselves about and treat the 'Abbos' - and, I might add, still do!! I, in my 'simple' mind had no other option, but do the decent thing.
The sky wouldn't be falling in if the 'yes' vote had won - there would simply be long and tedious discussion groups by our representatives in Parliament happening - as there are now. Very few of our members of Parliament deserve our respect.
I grant you that they probably get into Parliament, (local and National) 'bright-eyed and bushy-tailed', full of great plans and ideals, but are soon overtaken by party politics, by toeing the line, by their never-ending duties to remain popular in their electorates and having to attend long and tedious functions at local sporting clubs, attend 'fetes and openings of this and that' etc. Unless they have a good electorate secretary, these duties - and party power politics consume our elected representatives' time -
Yet, we have had some extraordinary politicians from time to time, this is/was one of them:
'Fred Chaney' (Liberal politician and deputy PM at one stage) and this is from a report of his on Indigenous policies since the early part of the 20th century:
https://www.pc.gov.au/research/supporting/better-indigenous-policies/05-better-indigenous-policies-chapter3.pdfhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fred_Chaney_Sr.Taurisk
