The Liberal Party has urged Anthony Albanese to go back to the drawing board on an Indigenous voice and constitutional recognition of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders.
Opposition Leader Peter Dutton summoned MPs to Canberra for a meeting on Wednesday to discuss a position on the voice, which is due to be put to a referendum later this year.
The model put to parliament by the Albanese government, after consulting with Indigenous leaders and constitutional experts, is based on adding a new section to the constitution which would recognise First Peoples and enshrine a voice to the parliament and government.
After a two-hour meeting, the Liberals agreed to back constitutional recognition in a different form of words to that proposed by the government and a legislated local and regional voice for Indigenous people.
“It appears some people don’t want a voice – they’d rather have a whisper,” Mr Albanese told ABC Radio after the Liberal announcement.
Mr Albanese said Mr Dutton had done all he could to undermine the referendum and Wednesday’s decision would make it harder to succeed.
“This isn’t something that’s come from politicians, this is something that’s come from the ground up, from Indigenous people themselves,” he said.
Mr Dutton said the Liberal Party did not support “the prime minister’s Canberra voice”.
“We want to make sure that we can get the best possible outcomes for Indigenous Australians,” he said.
“We do that through recognising Indigenous Australians in the constitution and by providing for their say, their voice to be heard by government, in a very clear way but at a local level.”
Mr Dutton confirmed he will actively campaign for the ‘no’ campaign in the lead-up to the referendum.
He said the government’s proposal would not deliver the outcomes needed for Indigenous communities.
Indigenous Australians Minister Linda Burney reaffirmed the government’s commitment to its proposed model.
“I hope that the Liberal Party is not repeating mistakes of the past,” she said.
“There is enormous support and momentum in the Australian community for this referendum.”
Ms Burney criticised Mr Dutton for not once suggesting constitutional amendments during any of his seven meetings with the prime minister.
The opposition will seek to amend the bill which was introduced in March and is expected to be voted on in June after a parliamentary inquiry.
While Liberal backbenchers are free to vote with the government on the legislation, the shadow cabinet is bound by the party position not to support the model.
Mr Albanese said he was aware of Liberals who were considering resigning from the front bench to support the government’s model.
At least four Liberal backbenchers will campaign for a ‘yes’ vote, including Tasmania’s Bridget Archer.
Before the meeting, former Morrison government minister Ken Wyatt warned his ex-colleagues a decision not to support the voice could come back to bite the Liberal Party.
Mr Wyatt, a member of the referendum working group, said the voice proposal was not new and had been the subject of multiple reports considered by consecutive prime ministers.
Thomas Mayo, a member of the working group, said he was “deeply disappointed” the Liberals had joined the Nationals in opposing the model.
“They’ve chosen to refuse us the fairness of a voice,” he said.
© AAP 2023
