The Albanese Government won’t have to compromise on its model to establish an Indigenous Voice to Parliament and executive government after securing support from the Greens. Source: The Australian.
The Greens’ support comes amid a warning from Opposition Leader Peter Dutton that the constitutional change will “reracialise” Australia.
Mr Dutton delivered a comprehensive rejection of the advisory body in Parliament yesterday, claiming that in its current form, the Voice may stop governments from finalising their budgets, seek a particular version of Australian history to be taught in classrooms or prevent a defence base from being expanded.
Greens leader Adam Bandt’s confirmation that the party would pass the Government’s Constitution Alteration Bill unamended means Australians will be asked to vote on Labor’s preferred model, which gives the Voice the power to make representations to Parliament and executive government.
The bill is due to pass the Senate by June 22, ensuring the referendum can be held in October, November or December.
Mr Dutton was scathing of the process that led to the final wording of the Government’s constitutional amendment, saying the 4½ days of parliamentary committee hearings amounted to a “kangaroo court led by a government that never wanted to entertain changes to its proposed bill”.
He said the Government wanted Australians to vote for the voice “on a vibe” and Anthony Albanese wanted to “leverage the overwhelming public support for constitutional recognition to piggyback his poorly defined, untested and risk-ridden Canberra Voice model”.
Indigenous Australians Minister Linda Burney said Mr Dutton’s speech contained all the disinformation, misinformation and scare campaigns that existed in the Voice debate.
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No compromise: Greens back in loudest voice (By Rosie Lewis, The Australian)
