Tony Abbott says the voice to parliament ‘will entrench race into the constitution’

Tony Abbott has come out swinging about the voice to parliament, saying it is “wrong in principle” and risks promoting “separatism” in Australia.

Former prime minister Tony Abbott has claimed the voice to parliament is “wrong in principle”, risks promoting “separatism” in Australia and will clog up government.

Mr Abbott, a key voice in the No campaign, was interviewed by Sarah Ferguson on Thursday’s 730 program when he declared the voice would “entrench race into the constitution.”

“If this voice gets up, I think it will be very damaging in the long term,” he said.

As it stands, wording in section 51 of the Australian Constitution already empowers Parliament to make special laws for the people of any race.

Among Mr Abbott’s criticisms were the necessity for special treatment, the claim that the voice would bog government mechanisms down, and the fear of a “lose-lose” outcome.

Sarah Ferguson and Tony Abbott on the 730 program.

Mr Abbott, an advisory board member of the No campaign lobby group Advance Australia, said the voice wasn’t a matter of “recognition”, but “power”.

“It reinforces the separatism which is at the heart of Indigenous disadvantage,” he said.

“I don’t see why any particular group of Australians, however much they might be respected, should have their own special voice to the government into the parliament over and above the voice that every other Australian gets.”

“I don’t think that you could say that, in recent times at least, there’s been any lack of goodwill, any lack of generosity of spirit, and certainly any lack of generosity of funding, for instance, in remote schools, which is where the educational disadvantage is most acute,” he said.

He said disputed representations to government or agencies could clog already “gummed-up” government or even courts.

“If the government or the agency to which the representations are made does not respond effectively, it could all quite easily end up in the High Court,” Mr Abbott said.

“I think it’s not at all unreasonable to expect that the High Court will insist upon very careful consideration by government of anything the voice says.”

Australia will have a referendum on the voice this year. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Luis Enrique Ascui

Former Prime Minister Tony Abbott is a key voice in the No campaign. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Martin Ollman

Mr Abbott disputed the argument the voice would be a great unifying moment for Australia.

“If this voice gets up, I think it will be very damaging in the long term and wrong in principle. If it goes down, there will be a lot of very disappointed people. And some people will feel perhaps embittered. And that’s no good thing either,” he said.

“I certainly will continue to support Indigenous recognition, and if people feel on the defeat of the voice that there is an ongoing need for proper Indigenous recognition in the constitution, well, I’m their man.

“In the end the constitution belongs to all of us.”

Plenty took issue with the former prime minister’s line of argument.

Lucy Turnbull took to Twitter to reject Mr Abbott’s issue with singling out “any particular group of Australians” to “have their own special voice to the government”.

“What about all the special interest industry groups, business associations and trade unions?” she said.

Lucy Turnbull said Mr Abbott’s comments regarding ‘special treatment’ were a bit rich. Picture: Guy Davies

“They have VERY big voices and work the system to their advantage. Indigenous people do not have a collective voice. They are disempowered because or this. Sure, it could potentially be done by legislation. But a large collective group at Uluru resolved to ask for voice and recognition in the constitution. We should respect their wishes.”

The referendum has been slatted for the back quarter of 2023, with both yes and no lobbyists and prominent individuals publicly pleading their case to Australians.

Ok. What about all the special interest industry groups, business associations and trade unions? They have VERY big voices. And work the system to their advantage. Indigenous people do not have a collective voice. They are disempowered because or this. Sure, it could potentially…

— Lucy Turnbull AO (@LucyTurnbull_AO) July 6, 2023

Gamilaroi Gomeroi woman and Today show host Brooke Boney stunned Australians on Thursday morning with a powerful essay from the Yes camp.

“I’ve often reflected on how joyous it would have felt in 1967 after the successful vote for my grandparents to be able to walk down the street and know that their fellow Australians supported them by such an overwhelming majority,” she wrote.

Brooke Boney. Picture: Brendon Thorne/Getty Images)

“If the opposite were to occur and we had to walk down the street the next day, we don’t have the luxury of seeing people’s thoughts that might be ‘No, but … I’d like to see this happen or that happen’. All we would see is No and that would be quite damaging.”

“It’s OK if people want to vote No but I’d hope those people have a plan for what to do to improve the situation if the referendum fails and not just be content to maintain the status quo,” Boney said.

Some Aboriginal people had already indicated their intention to vote No in an act of resistance against a “system that has oppressed Aboriginal people for a couple of hundred years”, she explained.

When a date is set for later this year, every Australian will answer yes or no to the question: “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?”