Pauline Hanson claims secret note reportedly found at Canberra cafe reveals 11-point Voice ‘agenda’

The national Indigenous body has flatly denied it is behind an alleged Voice document that Pauline Hanson claims was found at a Canberra cafe.

The national Indigenous body has flatly denied it is behind an alleged document that Pauline Hanson claims outlines a radical 11-point plan for the Voice to Parliament.

The One Nation leader told the Senate on Wednesday she was handed the note, which has not been verified, by a concerned member of the public who claimed it was found at a cafe in Canberra.

“It disturbed me greatly,” Ms Hanson said. “I’m trying to say to people... understand if you give this the yes vote, this is what you could be opening yourself up to.”

How much do you really know about the secretive details of Anthony Albanese's race-based Voice?

Before you decide on whether you will reject Albanese's Voice or not, you might want to watch this speech to better understand the implications and potential harm his Voice may… pic.twitter.com/oK4iNr0Zvu

— Pauline Hanson 🇦🇺 (@PaulineHansonOz) March 24, 2023

The document outlines a number of radical proposals such as “job quotas” with a “minimum 10 per cent appointments” of First Nations people for roles including judges, magistrates, Australian Defence Force officers and state and federal police, among others.

It also suggests “no entry tests” or university fees, first preference for all public housing, and “all beaches and national parks to be property of the relevant tribe” with “non-First Nations people to be charged” for their use.

The National Indigenous Australians Agency (NIAA), a government body aimed at improving the lives of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, has denied involvement in the creation of the plan.

Ms Hanson claimed NIAA staff members who were discussing the document at the cafe.

The note Pauline Hanson claimed was found at a Canberra cafe.

“If the Prime Minister is aware of these initiatives set out by the NIAA, it would appear that Mr Albanese continues to mislead the Australian people over the extent of powers given to the Voice to Parliament,” Ms Hanson told the Senate.

In a statement to The Daily Mail on Friday, the NIAA said it “is not and has not” been drafting an ”early action/opportunities” plan for the Voice.

The alleged letter shared by Ms Hanson stated that income tax for First Nations people should be cut by 50 per cent.

It also proposed reducing the age eligibility requirement for the pension “because we die younger”.

In addition, it proposed reducing entry fees for sport and music events on public land for First Australians by 50 per cent. Traditional owners would also be given ownership of rivers and streams, enabling them to charge fees for water consumption and generate revenue from mining royalties.

The Voice would also aim to review and approve all new liquor licenses and ensure that Voice staff receive the same salary as the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet. 

Ms Hanson expressed increasing “anxiety” after receiving the correspondence.

She has previously lashed out at a proposal that could see Australians pay “rent” to traditional landowners, labelling the idea “outrageous” and “offensive”.

The Pay The Rent initiative proposes a weekly payment from non-Indigenous homeowners to a “Sovereign Body of First Nations people” who will decide where the money is allocated without government input.

The body, which is driven by the motto “saying sorry isn’t enough”, hopes to turn the scheme into an organisation that encourages all Australians to “honour the legacy of the Elders” by giving back to the land through monetary donations.

One Nation leader Pauline Hanson.

“It is a somewhat more just way of living on this stolen land,” its website states.

Aboriginal rights activist Robbie Thorpe, who ran a similar scheme in Melbourne in the 1990s, has suggested one per cent of weekly wages be paid to the body.

There are no calls for the race-based “land tax” scheme to be made government policy -- although ex-Greens senator Lidia Thorpe has backed the scheme.

It came after Anthony Albanese accused Peter Dutton of “playing games” over the Voice, a day after the Prime Minister’s emotional press conference where, alongside Indigenous Affairs Minister Linda Burney and members of the referendum working group, Mr Albanese unveiled the question he intends to ask all Australians in a referendum this year.

Australians will be asked, “A proposed law: to alter the constitution to recognise the First Peoples of Australia by establishing an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice. Do you approve this proposed alteration?”

He also provided details about what the Voice to parliament would do, namely that it will provide advice to both the parliament and the executive government.

An additional chapter would be added to the Constitution if a majority of Australians vote “yes”.

The PM this week unveiled the Voice referendum question.

Prolific “no” campaigners like Warren Mundine say the Voice will be a “disaster”, and it won’t improve real outcomes for Indigenous Australians.

The constitutional alteration bill will be introduced to the parliament next week, and the government has the backing of the Greens, while the Nationals are staunchly opposed. Mr Dutton and the Liberals are yet to form a view.

On Thursday, after Mr Albanese’s press conference, Mr Dutton said he wanted more detail before making a decision.

“There is a lot of detail that has been requested and there are many more questions that have been posed today as a result of the third form of words put forward,” Mr Dutton said.

Mr Albanese said he’d sat down with Mr Dutton ahead of Thursday’s press conference and had provided ample opportunity for questions.

“We know from a republic playbook that occurred last century that it is nothing more than a tactic, and it lacks genuineness to just continue to say, ‘Oh, we don’t have the detail’,” Mr Albanese said in a press conference on Friday.

“No matter how much detail is put out, Peter Dutton will say, ‘Oh, what about more detail?’ That’s the game that’s being played here.”

Originally published as Pauline Hanson claims secret note reportedly found at Canberra cafe reveals 11-point Voice ‘agenda’