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Days of grand gestures for Indigenous reconciliation over: Cook
Premier Roger Cook has ruled out pursuing a state-based Indigenous Voice to parliament while suggesting the days of big reconciliation gestures like that are most likely over.
In early 2023, when optimism was high about the prospect of the national Voice referendum being successful, former Premier Mark McGowan flagged that a WA-based Voice could be on the cards. However, after the Voice was defeated, Cook distanced himself from that position, saying it wasn’t on his agenda.
WA Premier Roger Cook says the government will not pursue a state-based Voice.Credit: Ros Swanborough
Advocates have labelled the stance a cop-out.
South Australia officially elected the members of its Voice to parliament in March but reflecting on the past seven months since the referendum Cook told WAtoday it would not be replicated in WA any time soon.
“I can’t see us doing it in the short term,” he said.
“The reason why I say that is I think the nature of our society nowadays is such that we won’t see these big, grand social projects or social gestures.”
Australians did not vote in support of the Voice.Credit: AFR
The Voice proposal was roundly defeated in WA at the October referendum with a total no vote of 63.5 per cent above the national average of 60 per cent.
Cook said the national result “certainly didn’t help the reconciliation process” but said reconciliation was still crucial.
“That wasn’t our only shot in the locker, this is a journey that we’re all on as a nation, and we have to continue to go down that journey,” he said.
He predicted reconciliation and moves to close the gap would happen on a smaller scale and at a community level.
Cook said he expected to see more agreement-making processes occurring with traditional owners, citing the recent Murujuga strategic agreement and the government’s $1.3 billion South West native title settlement.
“What I think you’ll see is people doing great things within their communities and that will spread, so I think you’ll build out rather than down,” he said.
Noongar woman, Indigenous advocate and South West Aboriginal Land and Sea Council director Megan Krakouer said Cook’s comments were a disappointing cop-out.
Krakouer initially did not support the national voice but changed her mind throughout the campaign and continues to support a state-based voice.
She said existing advisory bodies in government like the Aboriginal Advisory Council were not effective and did not have the ear of decision makers like the premier.
“There’s a number of Aboriginal advisory councils, but the right hand isn’t speaking to the left and as a result, the unmet needs continue to grow,” she said.
“We’ve got nothing in Western Australia in terms of mainstreaming First Nations issues, there is no one central place that we can go to.
“The benefit of having a Voice to Parliament, it will give others in community the opportunity to be at the table to make decisions that impact on their respective communities.”
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