The Voice: the search for equity

In democracies. elections are won by majorities. Their views hold sway. Minority rights are not protected. Secession is an important factor in reducing conflict. As Ludwig von Mises explained:

The situation of having to belong to a state to which one does not wish to belong is not less onerous if it is the result of an election than if one must endure it as the result of a military conquest…at every turn the member of a national minority is made to feel that he lives among strangers and that he is, even if the letter of the law denies it, a second class citizen.

No people and no part of a people should be held against its will in a political association that it does not want.

The option to secede is a safety valve. It enables minorities to escape oppression. It avoids civil wars. Over the past century a large number of new states formed successfully from old colonial administrations and from the breakups of Yugoslavia and the USSR. Secession is an active consideration in many places including Scotland, Catalonia, and even California.

For those who wish to retain their aboriginal culture exclusively, to live according to their own customs and laws, and not be forced to embrace Western Civilization, I propose that we facilitate secession. We not only make it easy, but we also actively encourage existing Aboriginal clans, alone or in collaboration with others, to form their own separate nation or nations on their own land. Royalties from mining rights will provide a significant and reliable income to augment their own exertions. We form contracts for the trade of goods and services. We form treaties with them to provide government services (such as defense from external aggressors) that they are too small to provide alone. Also, we provide open borders, so that, at any time, citizens of Australia or the Aboriginal nation(s) can choose to move to the alternative.

The two parts of my solution form a whole.

Firstly that we invite and encourage indigenous citizens, who have not already done so, to participate in our modern, free and affluent society and to enjoy all its benefits – prosperity, health, happiness, longevity, and safety. To be part of one Australia. As equals. We phase out existing laws based on race.

Secondly, for those who prefer to retain their traditional culture we facilitate secession and through treaties and contracts we help them to make that work.