The brilliance of the legal minds that crafted the Uluru...

The brilliance of the legal minds that crafted the Uluru statement which led to the referendum proposal has been confirmed in the Woodside case — which appears to have set a precedent that will help the voice body to develop powers of “consultation” and “consideration” to clog Canberra decision making. The “clogging” process is a potential first step to achieve the reparations referred to in the Uluru statement that came out of the 13 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander meetings. Many will argue that, if possible, Woodside should have tried harder to pay the price for approval from Indigenous stakeholders, rather than go to court. Read Next NationMan allegedly thrown to his death off balconyTayla Couacaud The skills among the legally educated in that case are in contrast to the ignorance shown by Australia’s top corporate boards who do not appear to have realised that the Yes case they are funding will likely create the powers of “consultation” and “consideration” able to do to the federal government what has been done to Woodside. If money from the big corporate miners, led by BHP, Rio Tinto and, incredibly, Woodside delivers a Yes victory then miners are more likely to be lashed with more Woodside style blows. As I have written many times, a Yes vote will enable Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders to form a body that will have the power to make representations to both the parliament and the public service on just about any issue.


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