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Cheryl Drayton senior Aboriginal Elder explains why she says NO to Indigenous Voice in interview with Russell Broadbent

In this conversation, Russell Broadband, Member for Monash, discusses the Indigenous voice with Cheryl Drayton, a senior Aboriginal Elder. Explore the need for local solutions, addressing gaps in health, and fostering understanding among Australians.

By news@gippsland - 14th July 2023 - Back to News

Hello, I'm Russell Broadband member for Monash and this is Cheryl Drayton, my senior Aboriginal Elder in my district. I'm just going to hand over to the shelter to open their conversation Cheryl. Thank you Russell, I'd like to acknowledge the land on which uh Russell's office since the land of the Kernai in Monash and Barack in particular and pay my respects to ancestors past and emerging and it's lovely to be here with Russell today.

Russell Broadbent with local Indigenous Elder Cheryl Drayton

Advocacy for indigenous voices

Thanks Cheryl, you know that a few months ago and the last five years I've been advocating for the voice. I've spoken on it, I've given speeches on it, I've written on it, I've done essays on it with a view that we have a group of people in our nation that die earlier that are subject to disease that the rest of us are not.

The rest of the country isn't subject to and lives in more difficult positions and has more difficult housing etc etc etc that has been my drive all the way through but also on ABC radio if you weeks ago I said about the first thing we have to do is listen to our Aboriginal elders.

So Cheryl contacted me straight away and we had discussion are you going to hear today part of what how that discussion went I argue very strongly for my position with Cheryl as we had the conversation over quite a long period of time and Cheryl argued her position and the reasons for it so I am I am here today to hit so you can hear just what went on between us. So Cheryl when you came in what happened

Aboriginal voice and advocacy

Cheryl said, "I spoke about the Aboriginal position versus the voice and it hasn't changed and I've spoken to many groups and not Aboriginal groups across Monash and still people want to know more about the voice."

"The main thing about the voice is that we haven't authorised those people to act on our behalf, the reality of that is that it's an elected Elite of people who think that having us in the constitution is going to be the right thing."

"How is that and they've not been able to explain how that's going to make any difference to Grassroots people now I'm advocating for Grassroots people because I believe that local solutions local people like Russell and other businesses around we're able to come together and find out those solutions," she said.

Healthcare and funding

Cheryl said, "An example of this stuff is that recently we just had our Aboriginal Health Organisation remove themselves back to further into into East gippsland and so it left us without having a medical centre so we're able to work with West Gippsland Healthcare Group who then went about making sure that we had an Aboriginal nurse a registered nurse come in and work with community."

"And we've got a hospital liaison officer and they have been able to lift the data that's required to say whether closing the gaps through that process is going to be met. Not sure that the cost of a rescue stay in health is quite a bit of money, isn't it and where did that money come from?"

"The money comes from the state government but it's also handed down from the federal government to the state to have these the closer get forum is about identifying those gaps that are out there in Regional Victoria and in in Metropolitan Melbourne in our case but I think the important thing about all of that stuff is that money didn't come from the clothing to get money yet no it just came straight out from West Gibson Health yes it did yes," she said.

Healthcare collaboration concerns

Cheryl said, "I'm assuming they got a grant for it but more importantly they've got a registered Aboriginal nurse who was working with the community to address their health issues and the process is that she is capable then of referring them to the services locally to be able to get their health needs met which works fine."

"But I think the other side of having somebody else talk about this stuff and it explains to me that the federal government doesn't actually think about what the state government's doing and and how do you work as a team of people so in in closing the Gap we have a Aboriginal paid body that is the driver of getting Health measures out there to community and and delivering Health practitioners."

"But it's not the same as having the health nurses so they're in there going to bed the whole time so what difference will the boys make the voice won't make any difference the voice will be a voice and there won't be any collaborations the grassroot people it will be a top-down measure that will then December but dismantle a lot of the The Good Will that's being made at the Grassroots level," she said.

Self-determination and grassroots

Cheryl said, "But I say about the voice that in order for them to actually think about the government of Victoria with their self-determination policies. Self-determination means that I get to decide what is best for me. I don't have Russell coming in and saying Russell as Cheryl you have to do this so for me I think that where the voice fails is that it hasn't talked about developing Grassroots people."

"To come out of the mushroom or out of their mushroom homes to actually be engaged in the broader community and to develop their skills and we both said to you as I said to you if you are I am free to go out and say that my senior. Elders in my electorate are opposed to the voice and you said yes to Russell you can say that and I have been telling my colleagues that for a number of weeks and a number of them don't want to hear it," she said.

Concerns on voice

Cheryl said that, "If there were three things against the voice what would they be because you're advocating a Nova is that correct that's correct. Right now having said what three things should people be taking into account okay so from a bigger picture there are Aboriginal won't have a vote because they're not in the Electoral roll. That's the first thing so they don't have a voice."

"I have a voice because I'm registered as a voter. Secondly, we haven't given those people in that committee any authority to speak on our behalf. And thirdly, the third thing is most importantly that we must look at the number of money that's been spent on all of the Aboriginal areas because there's no outcome in the data."

"Still tells us that we have horror incarcerations right we have poor very poor health outcomes our kids aren't even getting getting taught the literacy neumistry in schools isn't increasing and certainly we had a terrific program here that was local where we did have 98 but since the change in in governments and the lack of of knowledge around how to work with Aboriginal people it's never going to happen," she said.

Community development program

Cheryl said, "Where do we go from here well I think we have to advocate for my point of view to actually work at a local level to find how we can develop do a community development program where we have our communities come in and talk about their aspirations and talk about legislation and self-determination and those sorts of things because I think it's more important to actually keep getting kids into school."

"I just came from having a volunteer drawn Primary School which has got over 600 and kids and quite a few Aboriginal kids in that in that school and so the principal was said to me can we do this more regularly more offers and I said yes we can and so that's about developing a program where elders come in parents come in and they're seen in the school to be able to hear kids read to help with kids writing and so on."

Because the teacher's got enough to do when they've got over 25 of their classroom so there are things to do so it's a matter of the community and I'm about to call Aboriginal community meeting to actually get them to put down their respirations that's great when let me do uh in the next three weeks well I'm not I'm not Aboriginal but if I'm allowed to come along just because you're a non-aboriginal and that's meant to say you're not in you're not welcome," she said.

Building trust together

Cheryl also said, " I think that these are the sorts of things where people in your position and other members of the and particularly those service providers who have got Carriage of programs for Aboriginal people it's about building the relationship and the trust and let's make some of those things work and then advocating through whether it be the grant process between that is on the federal agency's paid or whether it's brands that come from Victoria's side."

"So there's many ways and the philanthropists and philanthropic societies there's always something there and I think that if we can we can work together as teams of people to try and make this work that I think that we're going to have a better a better outcome for all of those young families and single moments and all those sorts of people with their house."

"I've got one last question: do you believe that Australians are keen to sort out their problems with the indigenous Community? I have seen such a turnaround in terms of paying people wanting to understand culture better. I've seen people engage better but I've also seen the other side of the people that have the day to understand any of the cultures you know," she said.

Toward inclusive Australia

Cheryl added, "We're never seated the country to the bridge and all of those things need to be looked at and worked through but not from a parliament point of view until Australia becomes a Republican and we need to work towards one Australia and not just black and white Australia or people coming in as migrants."

"I think that all of this stuff isn't about politics anyway it's about the human race how do we actually lift the human race to accept each other warts and alls and to be able to work side by side and get those areas where we need to work as a as a team of people to raise the bar for those less fortunate."

"I think it's a good place to end Cheryl. Thanks very much for coming in today. I'm glad you had a great morning tea. We'll be back with another small episode of my conversation with Cheryl. I hope this has been something that you've been pleased to hear thanks very much authorised by Russell Broadbent Liberal Party," Cheryl concluded.

Pictures from Russell Broadbent MP website.

Source: http://gippsland.com/

Published by: news@gippsland.com