Prime Minister Anthony Albanese says Voice to Parliament not preoccupying government’s legislative agenda
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has rejected concerns his government’s legislative agenda is being preoccupied by the Voice to Parliament.
Ahead of Parliament’s return on Monday the Prime Minister used his address at the Chifley Research Centre Conference to spruik the landmark proposal.
After the lengthy address he fielded several questions about the Voice to Parliament, which is set to go to a referendum later this year.
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Although debate around the Voice has dominated much of his time in office, Mr Albanese sought to allay fears that other policy areas were being neglected.
He said his government is focused on its other key election pledges such as bringing down the cost of childcare addressing the cost-of-living woes faced by households.
“But at the same time, how about we get this (the Voice) done as well,” he added.
The Prime Minister also made it clear that the referendum will have “no impact” on the issue of ceding sovereignty, a key concern held by Greens Senator Lidia Thorpe.
Ms Thorpe, the Greens’ First Nations spokesperson, argued Indigenous people “deserve better” than an advisory body during an “Invasion Day” rally in Melbourne.
“I sit in that parliament and every day they say they are sovereign. The colonial system and the colonisers say they are sovereign,” she told the crowd.
“You don’t go to someone else’s country and say you’re sovereign. We are sovereign, and this is our land. We deserve better than an advisory body.”
In the speech Mr Albanese called on Australians to support the Constitutional alteration, which he labelled a “modest” change.
“Not a radical proposition but a sensible one,” he told the Labor faithful on Sunday.
“A simple, vital and practical principle: that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people have a say in the policies and decisions that affect their lives.
“Not just because, as I’ve said before, it is common courtesy to consult people when you’re taking a decision that affects them. But because the practical outcomes will be better.”
The Federal Opposition is yet to establish an official position on the Voice to Parliament, with leader Peter Dutton demanding more detail be provided.
On Thursday the Prime Minister hosted a Referendum Working Group meeting which included Mr Dutton.
Mr Albanese said he “sincerely” hopes that he can garner more support from all sides of politics to get behind the proposal.
“I sincerely hope we can get as much support across the political spectrum as we can, but I make this point, I get the same vote as everybody else,” he said.
“This is something that has come from the bottom up and we are going to give people a vote.”
The Federal Nationals have come out against the Voice, arguing the advisory body won’t improve outcomes for First Nations peoples.
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