Anthony Albanese was on the verge of tears five times while making a historic newsroom announcement of the Voice to Parliament question that will be put to Australians later this year.
In the referendum, which will take place between October and December, the public will be asked to consider: ‘A proposed law: amending the constitution to recognize Australia’s First Peoples by establishing an Aboriginal and Southern Islander Voice Torres Strait. Do you approve of this proposed amendment?
In an emotional press conference, Mr. Albanese said: ‘This moment has been a long time in the making. It is a simple matter of the heart.
“Recognizing Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians in our Constitution is the best chance this country has ever had to address the injustices of the past and move Australia forward for all, the best way to do that is by giving the people a voice.” .
For 122 years, the Constitution has made no reference to Indigenous Australians, who, the Prime Minister noted, have had “more than 65,000 years of continuous connection to this vast land.”
Albanese led 18 others to the podium for his announcement and his lip trembled as he made eye contact with a woman to his right, who was wiping away tears as the prime minister spoke.
“For the people who are with me on this stage I consider it a great privilege to stand alongside the giants of Australia,” said Mr. Albanese. ‘I don’t know if I had your experience in life if I could be so generous and modest in my request. I’d like to think it would be, but you can’t put yourself in other people’s shoes.
This is a modest request. I say to Australia; don’t miss out. This is a real opportunity.’
Anthony Albanese appeared on the verge of tears multiple times during his announcement
Mr. Albanese led 18 others to the podium for his announcement and his lip trembled as he made eye contact with a woman to his right.
Those gathered to support the announcement nodded as the prime minister choked on how important Voice is to the Australian public and the communities it is designed to serve.
If a majority of Australians vote for Voice, the Constitution would be amended as follows:
1. There will be one body, to be called the Voice of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander; 2. The Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice may address Parliament and the Commonwealth Executive Government on matters relating to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples;
3. Parliament, subject to this Constitution, shall have the power to make laws in respect of matters relating to the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice, including its composition, functions, powers and procedures.
The final wording must now be approved by parliament.
The cabinet met on Thursday morning to finalize the question, after Albanese met with the referendum task force on Wednesday night.
Labor reached an agreement with the Coalition on how the vote will take place, however the party has yet to reach a formal position on whether to support the indigenous voice.
Albanese said that constitutional reform should come before party politics.
“I cannot conceive why a political party would try to bind its members to a position opposing a referendum,” he told reporters in Queanbeyan on Thursday.
‘I would urge the coalition to support a case for ‘yes’ because it is about who we are as a nation and whether we have the confidence to recognize not only our full history, but the opportunity that exists to walk together.
“There are different views on any issue before the Australian people, but this is about our nation. This should not be a partisan issue.’
The co-chair of the Uluru statement, Professor Megan Davis, said on Radio National this morning that the Albanese had “really listened” to concerns about the voice.
“(Albanese) has really listened to what we had to say, is listening and really marked these deliberations,” he said.
‘This has been a very thorough and rigorous process. The amendments have really been thoroughly debated and scrutinized, and that will continue to happen throughout the committee process.
“We’ve had the best legal minds in the country working on this…we strongly believe that we have the balance right now, and people will see it in due time, but I would say to those people, listen to what we’re saying, listen to Aboriginal people and Torres Strait Islanders.’
Health Minister Mark Butler said earlier that finalizing the wording would allow campaigning efforts for a ‘yes’ vote to intensify.
“Everyone is determined to come to an agreed set of words so that we can go out and start making the case to the Australian people before the referendum,” he told ABC TV on Thursday.
The opposition agreed to support the Indigenous Voice to Parliament bill in the Senate (pictured shows people taking part in protests on Australia Day this year)
Voice critics have criticized the Albanian government for failing to explain how the constitutional amendment would work (Mr Albanese and Minister Burney pictured)
‘Our government has been working with Aboriginal leaders to come up with a final set of words for the Australian people and that work has been carried out at the highest level.’
As part of the agreement reached between the government and the opposition on how the referendum will be carried out, no campaign will be financed with public funds.
Taxpayers will only foot the bill for a neutral education campaign to inform voters about voice and the referendum, but donations made to both campaigns will be tax deductible.
The mobile voting period for remote communities is extended to 19 days and a greater number of identification methods will be accepted to register or update the registration.
The bill passed the Senate with cross-party support, but independent senator Lidia Thorpe abstained.
The indigenous senator said this was not a reflection of her views on the voice, but rather a protest against the government rejecting her amendments.
The government has reached an agreement to go ahead with separate legislation setting out how the referendum will take place.
The opposition agreed to support the bill in the Senate with amendments, including a physical brochure outlining the ‘yes’ and ‘no’ cases and some funding changes.
There will also be official recognition of both campaign organizations, as well as better opportunities for people to vote in remote communities.
The mobile voting period for remote communities will be extended to 19 days and a greater number of identification methods will be accepted to register or update the registration.
There will be an advertising blackout for three days before the referendum.
The disclosure threshold for donations to entities will be frozen at $15,200 instead of increasing with inflation.
Coalition senator Jacinta Price had threatened to walk across the room if she disagreed with the final bill, saying she had not seen the full details of the amendments.
He met with indigenous community leaders who shared their opposition to a voice in parliament.
The indigenous senator said that the voices of First Nations peoples had been trampled “for years and years, if not decades” and that voice would only add another layer of bureaucracy.