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Recognition: Yes or No?

Andrew Bolt & Linda Burney debate Constitutional change -and manage to maintain a respectful distance.

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Immigration. Same Sex Marriage. Detention Centres. Religion…. Issues that divide us have been ripe for TV producers to embed polar opposites for some time now.

The latest of these is ABC’s Recognition: Yes or No? with conservative columnist (and SKY News presenter) Andrew Bolt and Indigenous politician Linda Burney.

The central question is whether the Australian Constitution should be amended to recognise Indigenous Australians -potentially the subject of a Referendum vote. Essentially Burney believes it will heal the wounds of the past and achieve true reconciliation and equality. But Bolt is convinced such change would divide rather than unite us.

“Should racism be in the Constitution?” he asks.

“Why should acknowledging (Indigenous Australia) divide us?” Burney responds.

For this documentary both spend 4 weeks visiting corners of the country to meet Indigenous leaders, Constitutional experts and politicians. It’s heavy on debate, but respectful at the same time, with a backdrop of grass roots Australia. I’ve seen other docos in this genre that focus more on the conflict of its participants than is evident here.

Bolt and Burney visit Redfern, Darwin, Arnhem Land, Canberra, Brisbane, Cairns, Adelaide, Melbourne and even New Zealand to hear opposing views on this topic. Amongst advocates for change are Stan Grant, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Justice Commissioner Mick Gooda, Mandawuy Yunupingu’s widow Yalmay Yunupingu and former NZ Prime Minister Jim Bolger. Opposing change is Cory Bernardi, Secretary of Recognise What? Wesley Aird and even Murrumu of Walubara, who renounced his Australian citizenship and proclaimed the Yidindji Nation outside Cairns.

During the one hour discussion Bolt makes some surprising claims (“There wouldn’t be many Australians more against racism than me,” and “I’m Indigenous because I was born here.”) but even his critics would be impressed that he sits down amongst Indigenous Australians to hear their arguments. He loves a good argument after all…

In Arnhem Land he worries about a lack of basic education. “You want to keep the culture going, but what about the kids?” he asks.

“It’s scaremongering. It doesn’t have to be one or the other,” Burney insists.

Social Justice Commissioner Mick Gooda points out that Recognition will not undermine our past.

“You’re not losing 250 years of history, you’re gaining 70,000 years.”

But there are also opponents within the Indigenous community that Recognition will not change justice, Indigenous health or address a lack of jobs. They want a full Treaty, as previously promised by Prime Minister Bob Hawke.

Burney & Bolt also travel to New Zealand to hear how the country addressed similar change with the Maori community. Liberal politician Corey Bernardi (complete with a flagpole in his kitchen) also tries to convince Burney that change is unnecessary, but with one of the weaker arguments in the doco.

The timing of the doco is rather curious -shouldn’t this be tackling a Plebiscite question first?- but its participants are to be commended for having an intelligent, respectful discussion. Nobody raises their voice, nobody walks in a huff of camera, it’s polite agreement to disagree at most.

As TV it’s a rather heavy hour of policy and rhetoric, that could probably present with similar effect at a shorter running time.

But it does float well-rounded arguments which -shock, horror- also dispel suggestions of ABC bias.

If two opposing views can manage to spend 4 weeks together without it descending into a Reality TV hissy fit, maybe there is hope for us all yet.

“Depending on how you phrase it, you could even change my mind,” Bolt suggests. “But don’t count on it.”

Recognition: Yes or No? airs 8:30pm Tuesday on ABC.

2 Responses

  1. Thought ABC has ignored Bolt all of this time since he was on the Insiders many years ago and his continuous argument to reduce funding to the ABC due to political bias!

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