11 May 2004

Following John Howards announced plans to dissolve the Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islanders Commission on the grounds that aboriginal representation is an experiment that has failed, a new aboriginal national party has been announced.

Your Voice, plan to stand candidates in Senate and lower house positions in an effort to sweep John Howard from Office. Although there have been State Parties representing aboriginal interests there has never been a national political party. Such developments parallel in many ways what is occuring here in Aotearoa.

Party co-founder Richard Frankland, a film-maker and field officer during the Royal Commission into Aboriginal Deaths in Custody in the 1980s, said the party was formed at a series of meetings in recent weeks with the support of Aboriginal, church and social justice groups. It was not yet registered and its strategy still to be completed.

Says Franklin, Were interested in standing lots of black women. Were not averse to standing non-indigenous people, either. We want it to be pro-indigenous. We want it to plant the indigenous seed.