‘Tear our nation apart’: LNP Lord Mayor’s position on Voice revealed
As the highest-ranking LNP politician in mainland Australia, Brisbane’s Lord Mayor has a word of warning on the Voice to Parliament.
QLD Politics
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Brisbane Lord Mayor Adrian Schrinner said he fears the Indigenous Voice to Parliament referendum will fail and “tear our nation apart”, but could be saved if Prime Minister Anthony Albanese “stepped up” and gave more information.
Cr Schrinner said he supported a Voice to Parliament, but that he had concerns over how Brisbane’s Jagera, Turrbal and Quandamooka people would be represented on the advisory body.
It follows Labor’s council opposition leader Jared Cassidy accusing the Lord Mayor of refusing to support the Voice and comparing him to firebrand One Nation senator Pauline Hanson.
Federal Parliament is this week debating a Bill that will enable the referendum to be held later this year.
Federal Opposition Leader Peter Dutton has declared he will campaign against the Voice, while it is supported by the Liberal party’s only state Premier, Tasmanian Jeremy Rockliff.
As Brisbane Lord Mayor, Cr Schrinner is the highest-ranking elected Liberal or LNP official in mainland Australia.
Cr Schrinner said he wanted to see more information on the Voice, including how the Jagera, Turrbal and Quandamooka would be “individually and fairly” represented when there would be just three spots in the body for Queensland including one for the regions.
He said most referendum’s in Australia’s history had failed and the federal government needed to provide more answers or risk failure.
“I fear that this one will not get the support it needs to get across the line. What will that do to our nation? It will tear it apart,” Cr Schrinner said.
“There’s a chance to save this thing. That will only be saved by providing answers to basic questions like this.
“You’re asking people to make an informed decision. My fear is that in the current absence of information that’s out there, this referendum will go down.”
At the council’s Tuesday meeting, Cr Cassidy attempted to move a vote stating that the Brisbane City Council “actively supports a yes vote in the referendum”.
But it was amended by the LNP majority to reaffirm support for the Uluru Statement, which called for the constitutionally enshrined Voice, while demanding more information from the federal government.
Cr Cassidy said Brisbane City Council had a responsibility to engage in important social issues that impacted Australians.
“Instead, all we heard was dog-whistling and the parroting of (federal Opposition Leader) Peter Dutton’s, (Nationals leader) David Littleproud’s and Pauline Hanson’s talking points,” he said.
“Disappointingly this is also a complete backflip from their position of support to a similar
motion in 2019.
“As the largest local government in this country, what we say and do matters.”
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