Institute of Public Affairs

• VANCOUVER, British Columbia, July 20, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Despite mischaracterizations by advocates of socialism outside of Sweden, the country is not socialist.
• And in fact, it has a long history of comparatively small government, open markets, and competition.
• The new book, to be fully released next month, documents Sweden’s history of relying on markets and competition rather than government.
• And with low taxes, minimal regulation, and free and open trade, it also had the third-freest economy in the world.

• This is a timely change, as we are seeing an increase of both disinformation and misinformation being spread about the First Nations Voice to Parliament.
• Both refer to the spread of political information that is false and misleading.
• Read more:
  The Voice isn't apartheid or a veto over parliament – this misinformation is undermining democratic debate

What misinformation have we been hearing so far?

• He claimed the advertisement “Our Vote, Our Future” had “crossed the line” and leans in favour of the “yes” campaign.
• This is an example of misinformation.
• This exact slogan has been used by the electoral commission to encourage Indigenous people to enrol to vote in previous elections over the years.

The dangers of misinformation and how to identify it

• Distrust and scepticism are healthy to a degree, but extreme distrust can fuel harmful conspiracy theories.
• These conspiracies have placed lives at risk, as shown throughout the COVID pandemic, whereby unfounded medical treatments and fear of vaccines took centre stage in many misinformation campaigns.
• Identifying misinformation in politics can be complex because it is a space where regular debates occur.
• Many of those who peddled Trump’s election lies stood to be promoted, or had electoral self-interest in pursuing the line.

How can you protect yourself against misinformation?

• When you hear commentary around the Voice, be on the lookout for language that may be used to elicit strong emotional responses, instead of encouraging logical thinking.
• Words such as “apartheid”, “divided” or even “racist” may be used intentionally to elicit strong emotions.
• However, there are resources available that can help with navigating this referendum and making an informed choice:


As the referendum date approaches, and each of the campaigns seek to persuade you, remember some claims may evoke emotions, or surprise, and their motivations may not always be truthful. A healthy dose of scepticism, and a search for the truth, will help you to find your own voice in this important referendum.

• As the debate around the Voice to Parliament ramps up, we can probably expect similar claims to be made ahead of this year’s referendum.
• But the issue is so important to Australia’s future that such misinformation should not go unchallenged.
• The Waitangi Tribunal was originally established as a commission of inquiry in 1975, given the power only to make recommendations to government.

Deceptive and wrong

• Titled “The New Zealand Māori voice to Parliament and what we can expect from Australia”, it was written by the director of the institute’s legal rights program, John Storey.
• Read more:
  What Australia could learn from New Zealand about Indigenous representation

  The last of the statements is deceptive and the others are completely wrong.

• The Waitangi Tribunal’s jurisdiction was largely set in stone by the New Zealand parliament in 1975 when it was established.

Historic grievances

• In 1992 a major settlement of fishing claims began an era of negotiation and settlement of these claims, quite separate from the tribunal itself.
• With the majority of significant historic claims now settled or in negotiation, that aspect of the tribunal’s work is coming to an end.
• In 1993, it lost the power to make recommendations involving private land – that is, land not owned by the Crown.

Wide political support

• The Waitangi Tribunal investigates claims that the Crown has acted contrary to the “principles of the Treaty”.
• The Waitangi Tribunal establishes what those principles are, but they are binding on neither the courts nor parliament.
• The Waitangi Tribunal will remain a permanent commission of inquiry because there is wide political support for its work.
• Nor can be it held solely responsible for increasing Māori assertiveness or political engagement with government, even if this was in any way a bad thing.