Peter Dutton walks away from major referendum promise just days after Voice fails

The Opposition Leader has sensationally walked away from a major promise he made just last month about his plans if the Voice failed.

Peter Dutton has all but abandoned a promise to hold a second referendum to constitutionally recognise Indigenous Australians.

The Opposition Leader made the pledge last month but it was quickly called into question after his Indigenous Australians spokeswoman, Jacinta Nampijinpa Price, failed to declare support for the proposal.

Asked on Monday if he would send Australians back to the polls for a second referendum if he wins the next election, he declined to endorse the plan.

“All of our policy … is going to be reviewed in the process Kerrynne (Liddle) and Jacinta (Price) will lead now,” he told reporters in Canberra.

“I think that’s important, but I think it’s clear that the Australian public is probably over the referendum process for some time.”

Peter Dutton all but walked away from his vow to hold a second referendum. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Martin Ollman

Nationals leader David Littleproud said Australia should not rush to a second referendum.

“I don't think we need to go through that trauma anytime soon. I think the focus that the Australian people want us to be focused on is closing the gap where it hasn’t been closed,” he said.

Leading No campaigner Warren Mundine said he’d “love” a second referendum on symbolic constitutional recognition.

“But the issue we got, and we all know this, is that is the leadership of the Aboriginal community … they don’t want it and so that’s going to be a problem,” he told ABC’s Radio National.

Pushed on whether it would happen, Mr Mundine responded: “I don’t know, to be honest.

“What we got to do is do something that the government failed to do, that Albanese failed to do, and that is get everyone on-board for things to happen.”

Federal cabinet is expected to meet on Monday to discuss the next steps. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Martin Ollman

More than half of Australia, including all six states, resoundingly voted against the proposal to enshrine an Indigenous advisory in the Constitution.

The latest count showed 61 per cent of the nation voted No and 39 per cent cast a Yes ballot. The No vote won out in 59 of the 78 seats held by Labor MPs.

All but one of the seats held by the Coalition voted against the referendum.

Mr Dutton labelled the result an “unprecedented failure in campaigning”.

“I think that’s why there’s a lot of angst within the Labor Party at the moment about why the Prime Minister just doesn’t get across the detail. When he does make a decision, it’s the wrong decision,” he said.

Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles defended the decision to go to a referendum despite it being a hard sell for Australians.

But he insisted, despite the setback, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese had the full support of the Labor caucus.

Federal cabinet is expected to meet on Monday to discuss the next steps to address Indigenous disadvantage as politicians return to Canberra.

Tasmania senator Jacqui Lambie fired up on the Today show.

On Sunday, the government reaffirmed Labor’s commitment to advance reconciliation while pursuing ­treaty and truth-telling through a Makaratta commission.

An audit for the billions in Indigenous spending and a royal commission into child sexual abuse in remote communities are the two key demands from the Coalition in the referendum wash-up.

Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek said the government wanted to let the “dust settle” in order to think through the next steps.

It comes as Indigenous leaders who campaigned for the Voice have asked for a week of silence for Australians to grieve and reflect on the outcome of the referendum.

But Tasmanian senator Jacqui Lambie said Indigenous communities had waited long enough for the Albanese government to act.

“The Labor Party has put Indigenous communities out there on life support … They’ve done nothing for two years,” she told Nine.

“I don’t know why you can’t speak and chew gum at the same time. Some of us have been standing there, telling you the actions that need to be done in these Indigenous communities, and you weren’t listening because you had one focus, which was to get the Voice up, and you failed and we have no plan B.”