Australia Day Voice ‘scare’ campaign ‘act of desperation’: Linda Burney

Changing the date of Australia Day will not be the focus of a Voice to Parliament, says Indigenous Australians Minister Linda Burney.

• Referendum lies to be called out

Changing the date of Australia Day will not be the focus of a Voice to Parliament and claiming otherwise is an “act of desperation” by critics, says Indigenous Australians Minister Linda Burney.

Ms Burney declared the federal government had “no plans” to change Australia Day from January 26 and said the Voice would be focused on “practical” issues like housing, health, incarceration and education.

“The Voice will be about practical things that affect the daily lives of Aboriginal people,” she said.

“It will not be about scare campaigns. It will not be about nonsense, like changing Australia Day.

“I want to make that extraordinarily clear.”

Ms Burney said the Voice was about listening in a way that ensured First Nations communities were “heard” in the federal parliament.

“The voice of the parliament is about … listening and it’s also about making sure that there is recognition, recognition of the oldest continuous surviving culture on this planet,” she said.

Ms Burney said the Indigenous Australians portfolio was “very busy” with many policies and legislative proposals that would take up the focus of the Voice, dismissing claims the advisory group would have time or the will to concern itself with symbolic issues.

“(The Voice) will certainly not be about making changes to things like Australia Day,” she said.

“That is an act of desperation to start talking about things like that.”

Ms Burney said the Albanese Government has a “very clear policy” on Australia Day.

“We have no plans to change it,” she said.

“But we do believe that there needs to be a different way of marking that day.

“It should be in celebration and recognition of the great things about our nation, but it also has to be in reflection about the truth of this country.”