Alex Bainbridge's interview of Sam Woripa Watson: ‘Sovereignty is about controlling what happens on your land’

Alex Bainbridge interviews Sam Woripa Watson: ‘Sovereignty is about controlling what happens on your land’

Watson is part of a large cohort of progressive, militant activists who oppose the Voice in favour of measures to support the genuine sovereignty of First Nations peoples.

“We don’t support a powerless body of bureaucrats (whether they’re Black or not) giving their opinion to parliament and then parliament doesn’t have to do anything,” Watson said.

By contrast “we support Aboriginal rights and we support sovereignty and self determination, but that doesn’t mean voting ‘yes’ for this Voice.

“What it actually means is land rights and community-controlled organisations and reparations.”

Emphasis Mine

Watson believes that a successful YES vote for the Voice referendum will hobble the progress to recognisation of Aboriginal sovereignty. Watson defines that as:

Sovereignty is the ability to control what happens to your people on your land.

That sovereignty had never been ceded. We settlers need to recognise this fact in order to really move towards reconciliation.