Peter Dutton doubles down, says Voice risks reconciliation

After a bruising debate in parliament all week, the Opposition Leader is pleading with Anthony Albanese to change tack.

Peter Dutton is refusing to back down from claims the Voice to parliament referendum is a risky manoeuvre that threatens reconciliation despite the Prime Minister accusing him of speaking “without a heart”.

Days after the parliament passed the necessary legislation to set up the referendum, Mr Dutton on Friday doubled down on his argument that Australians are not ready to vote on the Voice due to a lack of detail and said the government should amend its plans for constitutional recognition.

Capping off a week of intense questioning in parliament by the opposition on the extent of the Voice’s powers, Mr Dutton warned the proposal risked “splitting the country in half”.

He said the government should instead push back the vote and then poll Australians just on constitutional recognition, suggesting keeping the Voice separate – as a body to be legislated by the government – would be a “better outcome”.

Opposition Leader Peter Dutton says a failed Voice risks reconciliation. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Martin Ollman

“If it’s certain that the Voice is going to fail, or if it gets to 51-49 in favour, it basically splits the country in half,” he told Channel 9.

“The unifying moment for the country instead of the division the Prime Minister is propagating is to come together to support constitutional recognition – we would have 80 or 90 per cent support for that. That would be a batter question to put.

“If the Prime Minister continues because he thinks there’s a political advantage that sets back reconciliation … everyone wants a better outcome.”

Recent polls suggest support for the Voice is waning, but the government is confident Australians will take up the “gracious” offer of Indigenous Australians to legislate a Voice in the Constitution that allows the country’s First Peoples to give advice and make representations on matters that directly affect them.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has defended the Voice proposal. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Martin Ollman

Deputy Opposition Leader Sussan Ley on Friday said the Liberal Party was extending an “offer of friendship” with the government by proposing an alternative.

“If the Voice goes down and loses support, it risks the whole mission of reconciliation in this country and takes a step backwards,” she told Channel 7.

“I think it is time for the Prime Minister to consider whether he just wants to stick to his original timeline, which I believe is a political timeline, or whether he actually, genuinely wants to work with all members across the parliament to support something as critical as constitutional recognition of our First Australians.”

Mr Albanese on Thursday stressed that the idea of recognition through a Voice was not a Canberra original thought but had come from Indigenous Australians themselves.

He accused Mr Dutton of stirring up division and confusion through misinformation.

“In 2017, Indigenous Australians met and agreed on the Uluru statement from the heart,” Mr Albanese said.

“The Leader of the Opposition has just given a statement without a heart.”

Mr Albanese has also downplayed claims from the opposition that Australians were lacking details.

He said the question, the constitutional provision, and the design principles for the Voice were all “clear”.

“All of this information has been available, in some cases for many years, most of it developed when the former Coalition was in government,” he said.

“What’s just as clear is that those opposite, some, are not interested in answers.”

Originally published as Peter Dutton doubles down, says Voice risks reconciliation