Anthony Albanese has insisted that Australians do not need to know all the details of the Voice of Parliament before voting on it in the next referendum.
Speaking on 2SM radio on Tuesday morning, the prime minister told Richard King that Voice will be nothing more than an advisory group and “has no veto power.”
It is merely an advisory group. And it will be chosen by the indigenous people themselves. It is not binding on Parliament,” he said.
‘All the nonsense about it, we need every detail… when we go to an election where people put forward proposals on the Constitution… you have nothing but the main outline on constitutional change.
“I think that the fact that parliament remains central to legislating undermines people who say that… this is a massive change, that it will change the way our entire system of government operates.
It will not. Everything will still be accountable to parliament, and that’s the way it should be.’
Anthony Albanese has criticized claims that Australians need to know all the details before the Indigenous Voice referendum to Parliament, calling the calls “nonsense”.
Speaking on 2SM radio on Tuesday morning, the prime minister told Richard King that Voice will be nothing more than an advisory group and “has no veto power.”
Australians have raised concerns that they don’t know why they are voting as one of the leading critics of the Yes campaign.
That sentiment was echoed by Ned Hargraves, a Warlpiri village elder in a rural area of the Northern Territory, northwest of Alice Springs.
The elder has called on the government to answer how an advisory body can ensure that important issues are addressed in the indigenous community.
He is also trying to understand how he can ensure that the laws and traditions of each Aboriginal tribe are recognized, with more than 400 different tribes spread across Australia.
Indigenous senator Jacinta Nampijinpa Price has also been a pillar of the No campaign and says the referendum is tearing the country apart.
“This Voice will not unite us, it will divide us by race,” he said.
‘Right now, many voices are crying out for help to address the devastating social problems in some remote communities. What is needed is action.
‘What we need in Canberra is ears, not a Voice.’
On Tuesday, Albanese criticized the opposition Indigenous Australians’ spokesperson for calling the body a “Workers’ Voice in Parliament”.
‘She (Mrs. Nampijinpa Price) knows very well that this is not the case. Julian Leeser, who she replaced…was one of the people involved in this since 2012, this should be a bipartisan issue,” Albanese said.
“I think it’s unfortunate that this is not the case, but we will continue to stand for unity, hope and make a positive difference.”
Indigenous senator Jacinta Nampijinpa Price (pictured) has been a pillar of the No campaign and says the referendum is tearing the country apart.
The prime minister has yet to declare when the referendum, which aims to enshrine First Nations peoples in the Constitution and set up an advisory body to report to Parliament on issues facing indigenous Australians, will take place.
The Yes and No camps on Monday revealed his campaign leaflets in the run-up to the vote, with the written cases of Yes and No to be posted on the Australian Electoral Commission website on Tuesday.
The leaflet to be placed in homes across Australia includes eight reasons to vote Yes and quick points on how Voice will work.
“It will include indigenous Australians from all states and territories, the Torres Strait Islands and representatives from remote regions and communities,” the Yes brochure states.
‘Members of the Voice shall be elected by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in their local area and serve for a fixed term.’
It also states that ‘Parliament and the Government will remain responsible for all laws, programs and funding’.
The Yes brochure does not explain how people will be chosen to be members of The Voice or how it will work in practice.
While the No campaign claims that the legitimate questions and concerns of many Australians have been brushed aside in favor of famous faces.
“This referendum will not be decided by politicians, corporations or celebrities,” he says.
It will be decided by each Australian. It affects all Australians. If you don’t know, vote no.
The No pamphlet says the move is legally risky, saying it would be “the biggest change to our democracy in Australian history.”
‘It’s a leap into the unknown. This voice has not been road tested. There is no constitutional body comparable to this anywhere in the world.
‘Enshrining a Voice in the Constitution means that it is open to legal challenge and interpretation by the High Court.
“Legal experts disagree, and cannot know for sure, how the High Court will interpret such a constitutional change.”
Supporters of the Yes campaign include indigenous soccer legends Johnathan Thurston and Eddie Betts.
Albanese has not yet declared when the referendum, which aims to enshrine First Nations people in the Constitution and establish an advisory body to report to Parliament on issues facing Indigenous Australians, will take place, but it is expected to be around October or November.
