"The failure of the COP meetings is baked in.
What “consensus” means is that every nation has a veto: 198 delegates can agree to a measure, but it can be blocked by the 199th.
Instead, we need a voting system that can’t be subverted by #FossilFuel producers.
The third approach, which could run alongside the second, is to bypass the Cop process by developing new binding #treaties."
In May, the #Queensland Liberal-National opposition provided bipartisan support for legislation establishing a 3-4 year #TruthTelling process, as a necessary precursor to the (extremely belated) negotiation of a treaty or #treaties with Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander peoples. And they did so in response to the #UluruStatementFromTheHeart (that had called for #Voice, #Treaty and #Truth).
At the time, opposition leader #DavidCrisafulli had personally encouraged people in his state to "embrace this [truth-telling] wholeheartedly". On the day the legislation passed, he said: "I believe in truth-telling and to me that means telling it like it is. […] We cannot shy away from the real experiences of #Indigenous Australians throughout history. We must tell the truth about the real challenges they are facing today."
But now, five months later yet before any of the formal processes of truth-telling have begun, he's withdrawn #LNP support for the legislation, promising to tear it up should his party be voted into government at the next election.
He claims he is doing so because he is listening—to the voices of the 'No' voters, who outnumbered the 'Yes' voters at last Saturday's #referendum.
Nevertheless, these documents have influenced real behavior in the real world. Soviet dissidents used to embarrass their govt by pointing to #HumanRights language in treaties the #Kremlin had signed & did not respect. Even when fighting brutal or colonial #wars, countries that had signed #treaties on the #LawsOfWar either tried to abide by them—avoiding #civilian casualties, for example—or at least felt remorseful when they failed to do so.
Australia has never formally recognized rights for its Aboriginal population. On Oct. 14, voters will decide whether or not to amend the constitution to create an Indigenous advisory committee for parliament. Here are how some other countries protect their often-marginalized native population.
CORRECTION: This post originally misstated the Indigenous population of Australia. They make up about 3.2% of its 26M residents.