In news which is equal parts unsurprising and disappointing, the Liberal Party has announced it will formally oppose the federal government’s model for a First Nations Voice to Parliament.
Death, taxes and the Liberal Party being gronks of epic proportions. Sigh.
Opposition Leader Peter Dutton said the party supports constitutional recognition for First Nations folks — which would only be symbolic, FYI — but not a constitutionally enshrined Voice, which is what the federal government has proposed.
Instead, the Liberal Party wants a legislated model which will focus on local and regional voices.
For the record, First Nations communities and the Uluru Statement from the Heart have rejected the suggestions proposed by the Liberal Party, per the Guardian.
“The Liberal Party resolved today to say yes to constitutional recognition for Indigenous Australians, yes to a local and regional body, so we can get practical outcomes for Indigenous people on the ground [but] there was a resounding no to the prime minister’s Voice,” Dutton said at a press conference on Wednesday afternoon.
“We want to make sure we can get the best possible outcomes for Indigenous Australians, and we do that through recognising Indigenous Australians in the constitution … having a Canberra Voice won’t resolve the issues on the ground for Indigenous communities.”
Hmm. Bit rich of Dutton to claim the federal government’s model won’t be beneficial, considering it’s been designed in consultation with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities, and First Nations folks have been fighting for the establishment of a constitutionally enshrined Voice for years.
This is a heartbreaking lack of leadership. Inexcusable to call it a “divisive Canberra Voice” – the Uluru Statement from the Heart (that put forward the Voice to Parliament) is the result of years of consultation by First Nations people with Firsts Nations people right across…
— David Pocock (@DavidPocock) April 5, 2023
That’s not to say there isn’t scepticism about the First Nations Voice to Parliament, including fears it’s tokenistic because it’ll purely have advisory powers. But something tells me Dutton just doesn’t want First Nations people to be recognised because of a word which rhymes with “spacism”.
Per the Sydney Morning Herald, the Liberal Party will push for changes to the wording of the constitutional amendment proposed by the federal government.
Dutton said he believed a couple of backbenchers would disagree with the Liberal Party’s position. As reported by the ABC, Tassie Liberal MP Bridget Archer confirmed such, and said she’d support the First Nations Voice to Parliament.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese pooh-poohed Dutton for trying to sabotage the Voice.
“The leader of the Opposition has, with every utterance he has made, tried to undermine support … that’s my assessment,” he said, per SBS.
“I wish that wasn’t the case. I seek as much support as possible for this change.”
