Liberal leader Peter Dutton said his party’s position of opposing a “Canberra” Voice to Parliament but supporting a legislated model for local and regional voices, as well as constitutional recognition, will unite our nation – not divide it.
The Opposition Leader told Sky News Australia’s Paul Murray that a Voice to Parliament will waste billions of taxpayer dollars, but not stop Indigenous kids from suffering, improve educational outcomes, or restore law and order.
“We don’t want a national voice which is just a Canberra Voice. It’s the Prime Minister’s model, it’s a bureaucracy and it’s not going to give the practical outcomes that we want to see,” Mr Dutton said on Paul Murray Live on Wednesday.
“I don’t want to see the kids suffering in Alice Springs, I don’t want to see the domestic violence, I want to see a better outcome.
“And I don’t just want billions of dollars wasted.
“I want to see the infant mortality rate improve. I want to see the educational outcomes for kids improve. I want to see people in work and I want to see law and order restored in the community.”
Mr Dutton said that recognising indigenous Australians in the constitution “is a respectful act” and he would be keen to sit down with Anthony Albanese to discuss it.
“I would be happy to sit down with the Prime Minister tomorrow to look at the issue of constitutional recognition,” the opposition leader said.
“Enshrining that in the constitution I think is a respectful act and I think there’s a majority of support for that.”
The Liberal leader said Mr Albanese has not adequately explained his Voice to Parliament model because it’s still in the design process and it would “fall away” if it was explained.
“He’s come up with a model he’s not prepared to explain it,” Mr Dutton said.
“That’s for political reasons because he knows that if he explains it people will fall away.
“They are proposing that the referendum takes place on the Saturday so people turn up to the school and sausage sizzle.
“That’s when the consultation process starts for six months and that’s when they’ll decide the design of this body.”
Source: skynews.com.au
