Silencing the Voice: the fossil-fuelled Atlas Network’s campaign against constitutional recognition of Indigenous Australia

The author contends that the 'No' campaign against the Australian Indigenous Voice to Parliament is not a grassroots movement but a strategic operation by the Atlas Network, a global infrastructure of neoliberal think-tanks. The paper links this effort to a long-term pattern of climate disinformation and opposition to environmental policy, suggesting that the Voice is opposed because it could empower Indigenous communities to challenge fossil-fuel projects. The author details the interlocking memberships between the Atlas Network, the Mont Pelerin Society, and Australian political figures, arguing that these networks use 'astroturfing' and disinformation to shift public opinion in favor of corporate interests.

• The 'No' campaign against the Voice to Parliament is led by Advance Australia and is integrated into the global Atlas Network, an umbrella organization coordinating over 500 'think-tanks' across 99 countries.
• The Atlas Network's Australian outposts, including the Centre for Independent Studies (CIS) and the Institute of Public Affairs (IPA), share the same methods and goals as the network's global campaign against climate policy.
• Opposition to the Voice is motivated by fears that an Indigenous advisory body would strengthen the ability of First Nations communities to legally challenge fossil-fuel projects in areas such as the Murujuga/Burrup, Pilliga, and Tiwi Island gas basins.
• The Atlas Network utilizes a strategy of 'astroturfing'—creating a false impression of grassroots support—and employs 'second-hand dealers in ideas' like journalists to disseminate corporate agendas.
• The Centre for Independent Studies (CIS) was established in 1976 with foundation grants from major resource companies, including Santos, Shell, BHP, and Rio Tinto, to counter the Whitlam government's policies on resource sovereignty and Aboriginal land rights.
• The author identifies a pattern of 'authoritarian neoliberalism' where the Atlas Network and the Mont Pelerin Society seek to immunize corporations from democratic intervention while capturing state coercive powers.
• The paper links the Australian 'No' campaign to similar international efforts, such as the Macdonald-Laurier Institute's campaign in Canada to remove barriers to oil and gas projects by opposing the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP).
• The document asserts that the Atlas Network's influence extends into the Liberal Party of Australia, citing the membership of former Prime Minister John Howard in the Mont Pelerin Society.

APA

Walker, J. (n.d.). Silencing the Voice: the fossil-fuelled Atlas Network’s campaign against constitutional recognition of Indigenous Australia. Climate Social Science Network. https://cssn.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/8813-Article-Text-40601-1-10-20230930.pdf

Chicago

Walker, Jeremy. Silencing the Voice: the fossil-fuelled Atlas Network’s campaign against constitutional recognition of Indigenous Australia. Climate Social Science Network, n.d. https://cssn.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/8813-Article-Text-40601-1-10-20230930.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Walker |first1=Jeremy |title=Silencing the Voice: the fossil-fuelled Atlas Network’s campaign against constitutional recognition of Indigenous Australia |publisher=Climate Social Science Network |url=https://cssn.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/8813-Article-Text-40601-1-10-20230930.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{walkerndsilencing, author = {Walker, Jeremy}, title = {{Silencing the Voice: the fossil-fuelled Atlas Network’s campaign against constitutional recognition of Indigenous Australia}}, institution = {Climate Social Science Network}, url = {https://cssn.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/8813-Article-Text-40601-1-10-20230930.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }