Simon Birmingham won’t join ‘no’ Voice campaign, but won’t quit front bench

A key shadow cabinet member won’t get on board with a no vote campaign for the Voice referendum – here’s why.

Senior Liberal Simon Birmingham has sought to distance himself from the Liberal Party’s position on the Voice, saying he will not be campaigning ahead of the referendum.

Senator Birmingham said on Wednesday while he has no plans to quit the Coalition front bench “at this stage”, he reiterated that he won’t be actively campaigning for the “no” case.

He said he would instead leave it to the Australian people.

It follows Julian Leeser resigning from shadow cabinet and his positions as shadow attorney general and spokesman for Indigenous Australians on Tuesday over differences in opinion on the Voice to Parliament.

Mr Leeser said while he would advocate for a slightly different Voice model to what Anthony Albanese had announced, he would ultimately support the Voice whether his alterations were accepted or not.

Senator Birmingham said he wouldn’t follow Mr Leeser’s position at this stage, but said it was “equally not” his intention to campaign for the “no” case.

“I have nothing but respect for Julian and the highest of regard for the knowledge and thought that he brings to the debate of this issue. I will continue to listen very carefully to what he has to say and to how he engages on the topic,” Senator Birmingham told Sky News.

Asked explicitly whether he would campaign for a “no” vote, Senator Birmingham said his intention was to “respect the Australian people who will go about this referendum”.

“I recognise that there are different opinions in relation to the arguments for the Voice and against and then particularly different opinions in relation to the detail and I share many of those concerns around aspects of the detail,” he said.

“I think listening is crucial if we're to achieve the best possible outcome from this, possible reconsideration across the political divide.”

Simon Birmingham said it was not his intention to campaign for the ‘no’ vote. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Martin Ollman

On Tuesday, One Nation leader Pauline Hanson called for Senator Birmingham – the leader of the Opposition in the Senate – to resign if he did not fully support the party’s position.

Asked what position he would take “at a personal level”, Senator Birmingham said Australians were lucky to enjoy a secret ballot.

“I’m hoping that there is still room for some type of consensus to be salvaged out of this situation. I’ve said for a long time that I don’t wish to see an unsuccessful referendum put forward to the Australian people,” he said.

“So I’ll be watching and considering all of those factors carefully through that time frame.”

The Liberal Party position is binding on frontbenchers, but backbenchers are entitled to a free vote.

Last week, former Indigenous affairs minister Ken Wyatt quit the party after Mr Dutton announced the party’s decision.

The Liberal Party wants legislated local and regional voices in place of a constitutionally enshrined “Canberra Voice”.

Opposition Leader Peter Dutton, in Alice Springs on Wednesday to talk to locals about ongoing crime issues, backed in his position again, saying the Voice to Parliament would do little to solve the issues rampant across the country.

“There are plenty of indigenous people in this country who are completely opposed to the Voice because they don’t believe that a Canberra voice is going to provide support to the local community here in Alice Springs in Tennant Creek and Katherine and elsewhere,” he said.

“The Prime Minister at the moment is putting forward a model which divides our country. And he won’t explain any of the detail. He won’t look Northern Territorians in the eye and explain how it is that the voice is going to provide solutions to these problems.”