Voice defeat is a ‘lesson’ for Premier Peter Malinauskas, says leading No campaigner Kerrynne Liddle

Leading No campaigner Kerrynne Liddle has outlined the Voice referendum’s lessons for Premier Peter Malinauskas.

Leading No campaigner Kerrynne Liddle is challenging Premier Peter Malinauskas over the state Voice, demanding the group focus on “maximising positive outcomes” for disadvantaged Indigenous people.

Mr Malinauskas and Attorney-General Kyam Maher both said on Sunday there would be no change to the rollout of the state Voice, highlighting the non-binding advisory committee would be established through legislation, not enshrined in the constitution.

Opposition Leader David Speirs said he was inclined to back a One Nation push to repeal the state Voice, which was legislated in March, despite acknowledging this would be fruitless.

But Senator Liddle, an SA Liberal, echoed Mr Malinauskas’s distinction between a legislated and constitutionally enshrined Voice.

“South Australians have emphatically rejected the Prime Minister’s divisive, race-based, constitutionally enshrined Voice,” she said.

“The difference between the proposed, now-defeated Voice proposition and the SA Voice is that the SA Voice is legislated, not enshrined within the constitution.

“The lesson from the weekend’s defeat of the Canberra Voice referendum for the SA Premier is that South Australians expect not only to be properly informed and engaged, but that the actions implemented are focused on maximising positive outcomes for disadvantaged Indigenous Australians”.

Senator Kerrynne Liddle on Monday during Question Time in the Senate at Parliament House in Canberra. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Martin Ollman

Mr Speirs said the Opposition was likely to look favourably on a One Nation move to repeal the state Voice, despite acknowledging the Bill would not pass the upper house.

He said the referendum’s resounding defeat showed South Australians were opposed to “a race-based mechanism” and urged a total reconsideration.

“I think we’ve got to step back and go back to the drawing board and ask: ‘Is this the right mechanism for our state or any state?’,” Mr Speirs said.

“Clearly, South Australians have major concerns here – some of those concerns would be driven by concern about embedding it in the constitution, and I acknowledge that.

“But many of the other concerns, given we’ve now had a statewide and national debate about this issue, are based around division and around race-based instruments within our governance process.”

Premier Peter Malinauskas casts his ballot in the Voice referendum on Saturday. Picture: Dean Martin

Reacting to the referendum’s defeat, Mr Malinauskas on Saturday night told The Advertiser that “our democracy has now decided against (the) model” of a “constitutionally enshrined First Nations Voice”, but insisted “work at a federal level to close the gap on Indigenous disadvantage must continue”.

The state-based Voice was delayed by six months in June when Aboriginal Affairs Minister Kyam Maher said it was “creating confusion” and “being overshadowed” by the national debate.

Originally published as Voice defeat is a ‘lesson’ for Premier Peter Malinauskas, says leading No campaigner Kerrynne Liddle