Voice to parliament: Council’s slammed after supporting Yes vote

Several local councils in NSW have taken a controversial stance on the upcoming Voice to parliament with some objectors saying it could alienate their constituents.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese at the unveiling of the Barunga Voice Declaration at Parliament House in Canberra. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Martin Ollman

At least 10 NSW councils have voted to back the Yes vote for a Voice to parliament and pump thousands into the national campaign.

Constitutional law expert Anne Twomey said there was nothing to stop councils from backing the yes vote with the “implied freedom” from the constitution extending to “all political communication”.

However, backers of the ‘no’ campaign say councils should not be spending ratepayers’ money on agenda-driven activism.

At a recent Randwick council meeting, a fiery debate erupted between councillors over whether it should be choosing a side, and allocating part of its budget to promote the “yes” campaign.

Despite pushback from Liberal councillors, a motion was passed to support the proposal to amend the constitution to include an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice and put forward $28,900 towards local campaign initiatives.

Mayor Dylan Parker said it was important for Randwick Council to show its support for the ‘yes’ vote.

A Fair Australia spokesman said it was “unfortunate that [some] councils are only telling one side of the story”, however, saying it was unsurprising from “woke local politicians” who see the referendum “as the next opportunity in their ongoing campaign to abolish Australia Day”.

Shadow Minister for Indigenous Affairs Jacinta Nampijinpa Price told The Daily Telegraph that while it was okay for individual councillors to have their own views, “no local council should be wasting ratepayer money on personal agenda-driven activism” and only pushing “one side of a federal issue”.

“No matter what side … they’re on, they should keep their focus local, and concentrate on the jobs they were elected to do,” Ms Price said.

Shadow Minister for Indigenous Affairs Jacinta Nampijinpa Price. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Glenn Campbell,

It comes months after the City of Sydney came under fire for voting to pump more than $500,000 into supporting the ‘yes’ vote.

All 128 councils across the state were approached for comment, and while a large portion said they hadn’t resolved a formal position, Bayside, Blacktown, Blue Mountains, Georges River, Lithgow, Lake Macquarie, Orange and Woollahra were some which had joined Randwick and City of Sydney in supporting the Voice.

It begged the question from Randwick councillor Christie Hamilton last Tuesday about whether taking a stance could alienate parts of the community.

Randwick Councillor Christie Hamilton. (AAP IMAGE/ Danny Aarons)

And despite some councils offering to waive hiring fees for ‘yes’ and ‘no’ events, the decision for some, like Bayside Council, to fly ‘yes’ banners could deter undecided voters.

“If we push one agenda, I think that we will push a lot of the community out of the conversation,” Cr Hamilton said.

Minister for Local Government Ron Hoenig said it was “up to elected councils and [their] communities … to determine whether they wish to campaign on a Voice to Parliament”.

A Yes23 campaign spokesman agreed, saying it respected “every person and every organisation … on if and how they contribute”.