Western Australia Labor Senator Pat Dodson has excoriated the government for rejecting a motion to establish a 'Truth-Telling' inquiry, as called for in the Uluru Statement from the Heart.
On Tuesday, Liberal MP's turned down the motion, arguing such a process was a matter for respective state and territory governments.
Senator Dodson was not sparing in his criticism of the government's position.
"It’s a cop-out, a sham, and it’s a lie,” he said. “They ought to own up to the Australian people that they haven’t got the guts to really face the truth of how our settlement narrative really should be told.”
The Makarrata process calls for an Indigenous approach to Reconciliation in the country, namely an honest discussion of the wrongs committed towards Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples by white colonial Australia.
Mr Dodson encouraged proponents of the Uluru Statement to focus on such an inquiry as a small element, and first step towards, an Indigenous Voice to Parliament.
"The committee being proposed would begin the long journey to collect data and identify issues and challenges that may arise at the national level for truth telling and agreement making. Issues and challenges that presently we all speculate and even hold fears about," Senator Dodson said in a statement to the Upper House.
