‘Don’t know whether it will fail’: Littleproud responds Dutton’s warning on Voice referendum

Nationals leader David Littleproud has responded after Peter Dutton warned the Voice referendum was on track to fail.

Nationals leader David Littleproud has said he doesn’t know what the outcome of the Voice to parliament referendum will be after Peter Dutton warned it was on track to fail.

The Opposition Leader last week told Indigenous leaders the Voice was on course for defeat as he met with the government’s referendum working group for the second time.

Mr Dutton, who has been demanding answers to 15 questions about the Voice, has urged the government to explain how the Indigenous advisory body would work and to finalise draft changes to the Constitution.

The Liberal leader raised concerns about uncertainty of the phrasing of the proposed amendment to embed the Voice in the Constitution, but he didn’t offer any alternative wording.

Asked about Mr Dutton’s comments on Sunday, Mr Littleproud said: “I don’t know whether it will fail”.

“The Liberal party has made that statement. And this is a deeply personal decision for Australians to make,” he told Today.

David Littleproud says his party remains opposed to the advisory body. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Gary Ramage

Australians will vote later this year in a referendum on whether to alter the Constitution to embed an Indigenous “Voice”.

The draft amendment — which is yet to be finalised — would allow the advisory body to make representations to parliament and the executive government on matters relating to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.

On Saturday, Anthony Albanese encouraged the nation’s leaders to not miss the chance to back the Voice at a community barbecue in his Sydney electorate ahead of the official launch of the “Yes” campaign.

The Prime Minister urged the crowd of hundreds at Petersham Park to consider “if not now, when?”

“This is not about symbolism or practical outcomes,” he said.

“The voice is a means to an end – to close the gap between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australia. On education, on health, on housing, on incarceration rates, on life expectancy, and on infant mortality.”

The federal Liberals are yet to reveal their position on the Voice, which has the support of Coalition state governments in Tasmania and NSW.

The federal Nationals announced they would oppose the Voice last year.

It resulted in former veterans’ affairs minister Andrew Gee quitting the party to sit on the crossbench as an independent.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has urged the nation to support the Voice. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Jeremy Piper

Mr Littleproud said on Sunday he “sensed” his party room would have supported amending the Constitution to recognise Indigenous Australians as the nation’s first peoples.

But he reiterated the Nationals were opposed to the Voice because they viewed it as “another layer of bureaucracy” that wouldn’t result in practical improvements for Indigenous peoples.

“We have lived experience and we only oppose this portion of it because of the lived experience we have in representing rural or remote areas where the disadvantage is,” he said.

“So we have a unique lens on this and, well, there is no malice. We come to this with genuine intent as I think the government has.”

Mr Littleproud will on Sunday travel to Carnarvon in Western Australia to meet with the local shire president to discuss how issues relating to crime, violence and alcohol are affecting the town 900km north of Perth.

The leader of the junior Coalition partner urged Mr Albanese — who will be in Port Hedland in the WA’s Pilbara region on Monday — to join him in Carnarvon.

“The president of that shire asked to see the Prime Minister, because they have similar issues to Alice Springs,” Mr Littleproud said.

“He could take a left turn and see the president and listen to their concerns. Because that’s how you fix it.

“It’s on the ground, decision makers are on the ground, not in Canberra.”

A spokeswoman for Mr Albanese would not respond directly to Mr Littleproud’s request, saying only that the government was following through on its commitment to bring federal cabinet to Port Hedland.

“The Prime Minister is looking forward to meeting with West Australians from all over the state during his trip,” the spokeswoman said.

Mr Albanese will host the cabinet meeting on Tuesday, which will be followed by a meeting with up to 150 community members.

He will also visit Kalgoorlie and Perth.

Deputy Liberal leader Sussan Ley is also visiting WA this week, where she is expected to travel to Geraldton, Bunbury, Perth, Fremantle and Albany in an attempt to win back trust among voters.

Originally published as ‘Don’t know whether it will fail’: Littleproud responds Dutton’s warning on Voice referendum