Robbie Katter’s scathing Voice takedown

The Indigenous Voice to Parliament won’t work as it ­assumes the nation’s politicians will listen, Katter’s Australian Party leader Robbie Katter claims.

• Opinion: We don’t need new voice

The Indigenous Voice to Parliament won’t work, as it ­assumes the nation’s politicians will listen, Katter’s Australian Party leader Robbie Katter has claimed in a scathing assessment of the reform.

In an opinion piece penned for The Courier-Mail, Mr Katter said the reform was well-­intentioned but “naive and ill-informed” and presenting it as a solution to problems impacting First Nations people was “cruel and misleading”.

This is because it’s based on the critical assumption the government will become “better listeners and blast into action”, he said.

“My experience of working with government in this space leads me to ask what’s the point of having even the greatest Voice if there is no one willing to ‘listen and act’ at the other end?” he said.

“Sadly, regardless of who makes up the Voice, no one could believe politicians are suddenly going to start acting on many of these things they already know about.”

Katter's Australian Party leader and Member for Traeger Robbie Katte.

If established, the Voice will be an advisory body to parliament and the federal Government, providing input on policy matters affecting First Nations people, including health, education and economic disadvantage.

Leading Yes campaigner and Queenslander Noel Pearson has said the Voice was needed to ensure the government “work with us, not against us … we’ll close this gap, we can’t rely on anybody else to close this gap other than the people affected by this problem”.

Mr Katter’s family has continually represented Queensland’s North West in government for 57 years and he said a “politician aspiring to be an egalitarian with these roots” must gravitate toward the challenges in First Australian communities.

He pointed to the KAP’s long-held campaign to amend the Blue Card system to make it fit for purpose in First Nations communities – with the goal of making it easier for people to get work while still ensuring the safety of children.

The state-based changes have been voted down thrice.

“Regrettably, we have had a very recent test run for the willingness of government to listen and act on burning issues facing our First Australian communities. Not surprisingly, they failed miserably,” he said.

“Many of the answers are sitting right under the decision- makers’ noses right now, but they are either incapable of making a decision or just unwilling to.”

Most opinion polls show support for the voice to parliament is dimming, with Queensland on track to return a No vote in the nation’s first referendum in 24 years.

In order for the referendum to succeed a “double majority” – a majority of voters in four of six states and national majority of voters – will be needed.

COLUMN: Page 21