FW: ( N.T. ) Turned away from the ballot box…

From: First Nations Justice Team – GetUp! [mailto:info@getup.org.au]
Sent: Thursday, 10 February 2022 4:05 PM
To: darren@indigenoussupport.org.au
Subject: Turned away from the ballot box…

Last night, the far-right quietly launched an attack on our voting rights…

GetUp logo

darren, last night far-right Liberal Senator James McGrath introduced a racist voter ID bill into Parliament1 – almost identical to laws GetUp fought to defeat alongside First Nations communities late last year.2

It’s the latest attempt to erode voting rights from the Morrison Government – from wiping thousands of First Nations people off the electoral roll in the NT, to stripping funding from the Australian Electoral Commission and cancelling enrolment drives in remote communities.3,4

And right now the stakes are higher than ever.

The Federal Election is just months away but COVID is ripping through remote communities, forcing them back into lockdowns.5 With Morrison having no plan to provide safe elections, we need to act now to ensure everyone has the opportunity to cast their vote on election day.

So while members of the Morrison Government are busy quietly introducing this new Trojan Horse legislation designed to stop Aboriginal people having their say at the ballot box, we’re fighting back to protect the right to vote.

Firstly, we’ll commission top-tier legal advice to determine the viability of a High Court challenge to force Morrison to extend the deadline for voter enrollment. This is an essential step to ensuring remote communities can vote right up until election day – and we’ve even won a similar High Court challenge in the past! (scroll down to hear about it)

Then, if enough people chip in, we’ll launch a massive display of public pressure next week in Canberra – with billboards, full-page newspaper ads, press conferences, and more – putting the Morrison Government’s racist attempts at voter suppression in the spotlight.

darren, legal advice, advertising space, and last minute flights don’t come cheap: will you chip in to fight Morrison’s attack on voting rights?


darren, with Parliament sitting this week and next and the clock ticking fast to election day, these campaign tactics need your support to happen:

  • Commission top-tier legal advice on the viability of a High Court challenge that could force Morrison to make voting more accessible for remote Aboriginal communities;

 

  • Buy a full-page ad in the Australian Financial Review so Morrison and his peers wake up to their dodgy voter suppression being in the spotlight; and

 

  • Travel immediately to Canberra so GetUp’s First Nations Justice Team can lobby Ministers, Senators, and MPs with legal advice and stories from remote communities;

 

  • Hire a mobile billboard to circle Parliament as Senators debate the racist voter ID bill in Canberra, reminding them of their responsibility to protect everyone’s right to vote; and

 

  • Hold a headline-grabbing press conference on the lawns of Parliament to garner media cut-through and ensure First Nations voices are front and centre as Morrison tries to keep this new law underwraps.


But none of this is possible without GetUp members like you chipping in.

Will you help defeat this voter ID bill and fight for a fair and safe election?

darren, from the very beginnings of GetUp, we’ve fought – and won – on voting rights.


In 2010, the GetUp movement challenged Howard-era electoral laws that would have seen tens of thousands of young people denied the right to vote – just because they missed a registration deadline.
6 We took this all the way to the High Court. And we won.

And less than two years ago in the 2020 Northern Territory election, GetUp fought for enrolment to stay open right up until voting day, ensuring those who otherwise would have been blocked from voting could have their say. And we didn’t stop there – from Minyerri to Borroloola, GetUp worked alongside First Nations communities to enrol thousands of people to vote.7


Right now, 42% of First Nations people in the NT are not enrolled to vote
8 – and they’re facing increasing attacks on voting rights around the country. We need to power the solutions to ensure the voting process is accessible and safe for remote First Nations communities – including expanding education and enrolment drives, increasing translation services, and ensuring polling areas are COVID-safe.

We shouldn’t have to have this fight – fair voting is the bedrock of democracy. But with Morrison desperate to silence those he knows will hold him accountable at the polls – on fracking, on COVID, on healthcare – we don’t have a choice but to turn up the heat.

But it’ll take all of us chipping in to power the serious constitutional expertise, and massive display of public pressure on the Morrison Government, before the clock runs out on Parliament sitting next week.

darren – this election, will you fight for First Nations communities to have the vote?

In determination,

Larissa, Amy, Anyupa, Edie, Jordan, Tamika, Ethan, and Jasmyn for the GetUp team

All First Nations work at GetUp is led by a team of campaigners and organisers from the Widjabul Wia-bul, Gooreng Gooreng, Warlpiri, Luritja-Pitjantjatjara, Wiradjuri, Noongar, Wakka Wakka, Gubbi Gubbi, Warumungu, and Muluridji Nations.

Authorised by L. Baldwin, GetUp, Donkin St, Brisbane.

PS – Why is voter ID so bad?👇

  • This bill is racist and unfair: These laws will most unfairly impact remote and rural First Nations people, in particular those living in remote Aboriginal communities with no fixed or conventional address. But it will also affect people experiencing homelessness, people with disabilities (particularly intellectual disabilities), elderly and young people, people fleeing violence, and people for whom English is their second language. The bill can only be seen to be a direct attack on these communities’ right to vote.9,10
  • This bill is not based on evidence: Evidence of people voting twice in Australia is basically nonexistent according to the Australian Electoral Commission. However, the use of voter fraud to stoke fear is a tactic right out of Donald Trump’s handbook to destabilise our democracy.11
  • There are valid reasons why people don’t have ID: It’s normal for many people in Australia to not have a current ID – not having a conventional or fixed address, fleeing violence, homelessness, and financial difficulties, can all mean someone might not have an ID. It’s not a good enough reason to deny someone the vote.
  • This bill will cause confusion: The technicalities introduced by these laws will lead people to believe they can’t vote, and greatly reduce voter turnout in some communities. Even those who do make it to the polls without ID will be faced with inadequate and risky backup options to help them vote. It’s not good enough.


This bill lays bare the Morrison Government’s disregard for fair, open, and accessible elections. But it doesn’t stop there. With remote communities being forced to return to COVID lockdowns – and Morrison having no plan on how to ensure safe elections in those communities – we need to ramp up the pressure now before a Federal Election is called and enrollment closes.

Will you help mobilise a massive response to Morrison’s attacks on our voting rights?

References:
[1] Electoral Legislation Amendment (Voter Identification) Bill, Australian Senate, introduced 9 February 2022.
[2] Kill Bill: ‘discriminatory’ voter ID laws dropped as Lambie denies support, SBS News, 1 December 2021.
[3] NT Election: Youth push to get NT mob on electoral roll, SBS News, 24 July 2020.
[4] Low Indigenous voter turn out at NT election threatening democracy, electoral commissioner says, ABC News 21 August 2020.
[5] Omicron rips through remote Aboriginal communities, as leaders say governments’ COVID response ‘too late’, ABC News, 4 February 2022.
[6] GetUp! High Court win overturns Howard’s electoral laws, The Sydney Morning Herald, 6 August 2010.
[7] See reference 3.
[8] See reference 3.
[9] ‘Electoral and Other Legislation Amendment Bill 2015’, Report No. 1, 21 May 2015.
[10] ‘Intellectual Disability and Voting’, Ellen Skladzien, 18 December 2019.
[11] ‘Proposed voter ID laws to disproportionately impact First Nations peoples’, NITV, 28 October 2021.

 

GetUp is an independent, not-for-profit community campaigning group. We use new technology to empower Australians to have their say on important national issues. We receive no political party or government funding, and every campaign we run is entirely supported by voluntary donations. If you’d like to contribute to help fund GetUp’s work, please donate now! Please note we’ve updated our privacy policy. If you do not wish to receive updates to darren@indigenoussupport.org.au from GetUp, please unsubscribe.

Our team acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of the land on which we meet and work. We wish to pay respect to Elders – past, present and emerging – and acknowledge the important role all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people continue to play within Australia and the GetUp community.

Authorised by Paul Oosting, GetUp, Sydney.

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