Peter Dutton has demanded Prime Minister Anthony Albanese do the “respectful thing” by revealing more information about the Indigenous Voice to Parliament.
Opposition leader Peter Dutton has renewed calls for Prime Minister Anthony Albanese to provide further information about the Voice to Parliament.
On Sunday Mr Dutton pushed Mr Albanese to release a draft bill before a referendum to enshrine an Indigenous Voice in the Constitution is put to the public.
“The Australian public won’t vote for something the prime minister refuses to explain,” he told Nine.
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“This makes it essential to release the detail, in the form of a draft bill and regulations.
“This would be the respectful thing to do instead of keeping Australians in the dark.”
Just a week ago the Liberal leader laid out a list of demands and said the Prime Minister was “making a catastrophic mistake” by not providing more information about the proposal.
“I believe you are making a catastrophic mistake in not providing accessible, clear and complete information regarding your government’s version of the Voice, condemning it to failure and, in turn, damaging reconciliation efforts in our country,” Mr Dutton said.
“Your approach will ensure a dangerous and divisive debate grounded in hearsay and misinformation.”
So even though I talked with Peter Dutton on Friday at the @McGrathFdn event, he gives a letter to multiple media outlets as “exclusive†on constitutional recognition and the Uluṟu Statement- a letter I still haven’t seen.
People are over cheap culture war stunts.
Mr Albanese however said he had not to have seen the letter in question, arguing Australians are “over” cheap culture war stunts.
“So even though I talked with Peter Dutton on Friday at the @McGrathFdn event, he gives a letter to multiple media outlets as “exclusive” on constitutional recognition and the Uluru Statement- a letter I still haven’t seen,” the Prime Minister said on Twitter.
“People are over cheap culture war stunts.”
The Liberal Party, unlike the Nationals, are yet to come to a unified position on the Voice to Parliament with Mr Dutton signalling an announcement early this year.
The junior Coalition party announced in November it would oppose the Voice to Parliament after consulting with Indigenous communities across the country.
Despite not making his position known, Mr Dutton argued that the government isn’t providing the comprehensive information to Australian voters before being asked to vote.
“Many Australians do not understand the scope and operation of the Voice and expect comprehensive information before being asked to vote,” he said.
“Regrettably, it now appears clear your political strategy is to not provide adequate detail for Australians to make an informed decision.
“In refusing to provide basic information and answer reasonable questions on the Voice, you are treating the Australian people like mugs.”
The Labor government will launch a so-called “week of action” in February to effectively launch the “yes” campaign for the constitutionally enshrined Indigenous Voice.
Supporters of the Voice will engage in various community activities such as barbecues and door knocking to further raise awareness and momentum ahead of this year’s referendum.
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Peter Dutton’s latest demand on Voice to Parliament – Sky News Australia
