MEMBER for Mallee Anne Webster remains firm in her opposition to an Indigenous voice to parliament after referendum wording was announced last week.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese revealed Australians will later this year be asked, “A Proposed Law: to alter the constitution to recognise the First Peoples of Australia by establishing an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander voice. Do you approve this proposed alteration?”
Dr Webster said she would be voting no to the question.
“I, along with others, are yet to see any detail that explains how enshrining a voice in the Constitution will help with the challenging situation facing Indigenous communities across Australia,” she said.
“What we need are practical measures to close the gap, not another bureaucratic representative body.”
When discussing the voice in August last year, Dr Webster said “while every voice is important, one voice should not be prioritised by default”.
She stood by that statement.
“It is important to note that any member or senator has been democratically elected to be a voice for their communities, including the 11 Indigenous senators and members,” Dr Webster said.
“Establishing a body purely to be the voice for one group based on race is counterproductive to that.
“In fact the voice as it stands has not detailed who chooses the representatives and on what basis.
“The fact is Indigenous people are not homogeneous and their needs and perspectives are not identical. That is why many Indigenous people are not supportive of the voice.
“I believe the voice risks dividing us by race, and that is not how I view Australia. The voice risks this to give precedence to one race.”
Dr Webster believed Australians were yet to be given enough information to make an informed decision.
“We are all Australian, recognised under the Constitution. I will be voting no, however I also recognise that this is a referendum that will be decided by the people of Australia,” Dr Webster said.
“I urge people to think about their vote when it comes time to cast it.”
Mr Albanese has asserted there is more than enough detail for the public to make up their mind on the proposal.
The Prime Minister last week said the request for detail, also put forward by Opposition Leader Peter Dutton, was a well-worn tactic.
“We know from the republic playbook that occurred last century that it is nothing more than a tactic, and it lacks genuineness to just continue to say, ‘We don’t have the detail’,” Mr Albanese said.
“No matter how much detail is put out, Peter Dutton will say, ‘What about more detail?’ That’s the game that’s being played here, and he should make a decision of where he stands on the issue.”
