Fred Nile, the leader of the now defunct Christian Democrat party, has found a new political home: the Seniors United Party of Australia.
Nile’s incredible longevity — and the name of his new party — could mean he’s now called SUPA Fred.
“I don’t plan to retire,” he said at a news conference this morning. “I will stand at the next state election.” The SUPA is a candidate for the Senate in two states. The party policy is aimed at providing dignity and resources to seniors.
“The Seniors Party approached me and asked me to join them,” said the party’s new MP – and first MP.
When asked by a journalist whether he still offered taxpayer value after 40 years in the NSW state parliament, the 87-year-old Nile replied: “I will show that seniors can still contribute to society”. He encouraged seniors to join the party, which is open to everyone and not limited to Christians.
He revealed a mastery of navigating politics and introduced a strong bill to support Aboriginal rights, likely to get support from the Greens and Labour.
The Aboriginal Cultural Heritage (Culture is Identity) Bill 2022 will prevent the destruction of Aboriginal heritage by granting real management of sites, objects, and remains to a newly created state institution, the Aboriginal Cultural Heritage Council (ACHC).
The ACHC, in consultation with local groups, must permit to move, damage, or destroy the items. Membership in the ACHC will be wholly Aboriginal.
The bill takes the goals of the Uluru Declaration from the heart by committing to the Indigenous Voices Co-design Process to develop proposals to empower Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples to participate in laws, policies, and programs that affect them. It also follows the progressive self-determination principles of the Victorian Aboriginal Affairs Framework (VAAF).
Wiradjuri man and co-chair of the Prime Minister’s Indigenous Advisory Council, Roy Ah-See, called Fred Nile the “father of land rights in NSW” and welcomed the bill. “Destruction of our cultural heritage is happening in NSW today,” he said. “This bill is way overdue.”
He said the bill is “not about stopping the industry or progress, but giving us a say”. He described the bill’s effect, saying that Aboriginal people could be given the right to push, for example, to move a bridge.
Terence Robinson of the Tabulam Local Land Rights Council gave the example of the demolition of the Tabulam Bridge (built by Aboriginal soldiers) and the destruction of scarred trees.
