Lidia Thorpe’s scathing takedown of Anthony Albanese for ‘yeah, nah’ attitude to a treaty – which he once supported and now is tying himself in knots over in Voice debate

Independent Senator Lidia Thorpe has criticized Anthony Albanese’s wavering views on a treaty with indigenous Australians in a social media post.

“While the Prime Minister said yes, no” on the treaty, our demands have always been as clear as pre-colonization air, he said. wrote on Twitterand posted a video of his Senate speech on the subject.

Ms Thorpe, who is a leading opponent of an Indigenous Voice in Parliament, said “the Labor government opposed my motion to take action towards a treaty.”

This was a reference to many Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians who wanted a treaty between the government and Aboriginal people and Torres Strait Islanders.

Albanese has supported such a treaty for nearly four decades, but of late has been tying himself in knots to distance himself from his long-held views.

Ms Thorpe, who is indigenous, also tweeted audio of an interview the Prime Minister did on ABC Radio National on Wednesday, where Patricia Karvelas asked her if she supported a treaty.

“Look, what’s before the Australian people is a referendum on Voice, which is the first part of the Uluru Declaration from the Heart,” Mr Albanese replied, without answering the question.

Karvelas pushed him again and he said ‘No…because that’s happening with the states’, before repeating his line about the upcoming referendum.

The ABC presenter tried one more time, asking, “Are you still committed to negotiating Commonwealth treaties?”

Once again, Mr. Albanese did not respond to the question.

In her speech to the Senate, Ms Thorpe said the government had “refused to define sovereignty”.

“They have refused to recognize First Nations sovereignty and have continued to ignore my repeated requests to meet with the black sovereign movement in this country.”

But he said the documents released via a freedom of information request ‘clearly show that what our people were mainly asking for during the regional dialogue (in a Voice to Parliament) was a treaty.

“There were many in the regional dialogues who insisted that any body must be stronger than just an advisory body to parliament,” he said.

Ms Thorpe said many at regional meetings wanted ‘a real voice, some power, like designated seats in parliament’. However, no one talks about it.

Instead, he said, the Labor government is “presenting… the weakest of all versions: an advisory body with no real influence.”

The senator said there was no self-determination in what the Voice referendum promises.

“If the government and any of the previous governments were serious about listening to us, they had every chance along the way and they failed,” he said.

There was a mixed response to Ms Thorpe’s comments on social media, with many urging her to endorse the Voice.

‘Come on Lidia, join the program and support La Voz. You know damn well the majority of the Vic mob wants you to,” one wrote.

You are voting with those who will always say No to the treaty and sabotaging those who would say yes.

‘The treaty is a million years away and if the Voice fails, it will be two million years away, what are you doing?’ asked another.

Lidia Thorpe (pictured), who is a leading opponent of an Indigenous Voice in Parliament, said “the Labor government opposed my motion to take action towards a treaty.”

Others, however, back his view of the prime minister, with one calling him ‘Albosleazy’.

Another wrote that he is “only interested in gestures that make white people feel good about themselves, not anything substantial.”

“That is clear from the government’s complete silence on the ongoing state persecution and terror using its judicial and paramilitary weapons.”

A spokesman for the prime minister told Daily Mail Australia that Albanese had “nothing to add” beyond what he had already said.