Queensland for all Queenslanders

QUEENSLAND FOR ALL QUEENSLANDERS: A POLICY FOR TRUE EQUALITY

One Nation is the only party which stands for all the principles of Australian democracy, and for true equality among all Queenslanders. We believe passionately in one nation and one people under one flag.

Perhaps the most important principle of democracy is that all citizens are essentially equal: before the law, before the institutions of government and the public, and in our Constitution. We should be equal – and treated equally – regardless of race, gender, country-of-origin or religious belief.

Reconciliation is a two-way street, not a one-sided process, and at some point reconciliation must reach a conclusion. All Queenslanders should be regularly consulted on reconciliation initiatives and ideas, nor just indigenous Queenslanders.

One Nation opposes any attempt to carve out special rights, laws, or privileges for anyone based on characteristics such as race. Perversely, such practices in the name of reconciliation achieve the exact opposite and set reconciliation back. This was the primary basis for One Nation’s successful referendum campaign against the racially divisive national voice to Parliament. It remains the primary basis for One Nation’s opposition to the divisive ‘path to treaty’ legislation passed in Queensland.

OUR POLICIES

Repealing the divisive ‘path to treaty’

Treaties are between nations, not governments and their own citizens.

The Queensland government’s ‘path to treaty’ will only divide our state by race and transfer wealth based on race. If One Nation is successful at gaining the balance of power, our first priority will be the repeal of Queensland’s ‘path to treaty’ legislation and the dismantling of any organisation or panel appointed under it. One Nation seeks for Queensland to move forward together as a united community, rather than one divided between indigenous and non-indigenous Queenslanders.

Winding back race-based special privileges

One Nation will review and examine all legislation and policies in Queensland that permit special or different treatment of Queenslanders based on their race, with a view to creating a level legal playing field for all citizens of Queensland.

Assistance based on need, not race

One Nation works diligently to ensure Queenslanders who qualify for public assistance receive what they are eligible to receive from taxpayers. In many cases, eligibility is different for indigenous and non-indigenous people, but in a truly equal democracy, there should be no difference. One Nation will work to ensure race is not a factor in qualifying for assistance or taxpayer support.

Resources will be allocated to communities and individuals because they need them, not because their race ‘entitles’ them to it. An example of this will be One Nation’s push to restore public funding for respondents to native title claims, and to insert a sunset clause in native title legislation.

Preservation of place names

One Nation opposes renaming places in Queensland with indigenous language place names. This creates division in our community and sends the message that Queensland does not belong to all Queenslanders.

One Nation notes that hundreds, if not thousands, of locations in Queensland already bear names derived from indigenous languages. We support the retention of these names as the ones their communities accept and embrace, just as we support the retention of names not derived from indigenous languages. This position reflects the heritage of all Queenslanders, not just a few.

One Nation will seek to implement this policy by:

• ensuring meaningful and comprehensive consultation of all Queenslanders, regardless of race, when such a name change is proposed;
• conducting an audit of all name-change proposals to ensure the Queensland public is fully informed;
• outright opposing name change proposals that have not been subject to meaningful community consultation, such as that proposed for Great Keppel Island;
• reversing name changes that were not subject to meaningful community consultation, such as Fraser Island.

Down the track: real constitutional reform

One Nation considers the Australian Constitution should not make any distinctions between citizens based on race, and should not even have the potential to do so. To this end, One Nation – keeping in mind that referendums are costly and should not be held lightly – will over the long term advocate for the removal of the last references to race in the Constitution via a referendum.

These references are Section 25, which gives Parliament the power to disqualify people from voting based on race, and Section 51 (xxvi), which gives Parliament the power to make special laws for people of any race – this is often referred to as the so-called ‘race power’.

One Nation will announce further information and associated policies relating to Queensland over the course of the election period.

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