Opposition grills Labor on Voice as Albo accuses them of ‘walking away’ from issue

Another round of Question Time has been dominated by questions on the Voice, as the Opposition continues to push the government on the details.

Question time has again been dominated by questions around the Voice, as Prime Minister Anthony Albanese edges closer to announcing a date for the referendum.

Here’s how it panned out.

Opposition Leader Peter Dutton will lead the grilling. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Martin Ollman

Labor to harden Palestine position

Before Question Time got under way, the government party room heard from Foreign Minister Penny Wong that Labor would look to harden its language on the Palestinian territories.

After fielding a question from a member concerning the Israeli government’s settlements in the West Bank, Senator Wong told the caucus that Labor would begin officially referring to Israel’s settlements in the West Bank and Gaza as “illegal under international law” and the territories as “occupied”, according to a Labor spokesman.

The hardened position will bring it into line with that of previous governments.

Voice questions for the PM

Opposition Leader Peter Dutton is the first to field a question to Mr Albanese on Tuesday, and as expected it concerns the Voice.

He asked: “Why is the Prime Minister only releasing Voice legislation after Australians have voted? Why does the Prime Minister continue to be deceptive and not provide the information millions of Australians are asking for?

Mr Albanese accuses Mr Dutton for “completely walking away from even pretending they are concerned about cost of living issues”.

Mr Albanese then went on to attack the Coalition’s push for a legislated Voice, rather than a constitutionally enshrined one as the referendum question poses.

Mr Albanese said the opposition “are simply not being fair dinkum”.

“If they think the Voice is a bad idea, why are they going to legislate it?” Mr Albanese said.

Anthony Albanese began Tuesday’s Question Time by fielding questions on the Voice. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Martin Ollman

After a government dixer, Coalition backbencher Colin Boyce gets the second opposition question, and has to ask it three times due to interjections and then time constraints.

He asks the Prime Minister if he is aware that the Uluru Statement from the Heart does not “literally fit on one page”, but is instead 26 pages long, and that three of those pages are dedicated to a Makarrata Commission.

He adds, “why does the Prime Minister continue to be deceptive, and not give millions of Australians the answers they’re asking”.

Mr Albanese held up a single A4 page, and read the first and last sentences of the statement before accusing the Coalition of peddling a conspiracy theory.

“There were over 1000 meetings held around the country – big and small – in a dialogue leading up to the constitutional convention (at Uluru) … It came up with what is an eloquent Statement from the Heart. One that not only fits on an A4 page, but one that was signed by the delegates to the constitutional conventions. Signed by the leaders who were there at Uluru,” he said.

“What we have here is a conspiracy theory colliding with each other. They are struggling … This is absolutely nonsense.

“Those opposite do not want to debate the facts … This is absolute nonsense and conspiracy.”

Jim Chalmers was overlooked by Angus Taylor, who asked a funding question of Linda Burney. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Martin Ollman

Continuing their line of questioning, shadow treasurer Angus Taylor takes an economic approach in asking Indigenous Australians Minister Linda Burney why the government had allocated $21.9m in its contingency reserve for the Makarrata Commission.

Similar questions were asked last week, and on Tuesday Ms Burney reiterated the point that funding that has been committed to a Makarrata “in line with the policy that we took to the last election”.

“But our priority is constitutional recognition through a Voice – that’s what the referendum is about,” she said.

She then went on to talk about her experience at the Garma Festival in northeast Arnhem Land over the weekend.

Linda Burney was asked numerous questions. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Martin Ollman

Deputy Opposition Leader Sussan Ley asked Ms Burney whether she could explain a statement she had previously made that the Makarrata commission is “really code for treaty without saying it”.

Ms Burney said the government supports the Uluru Statement from the Heart, constitutional recognition through a Voice, and Makarrata.

“The reason that we need a Voice is that for too long, governments have made policies for Indigenous Australians not with Indigenous Australians. The Voice can change that,” Ms Burney said.

Health Minister Mark Butler then takes a dixer about how the Voice would assist future governments to develop policies to close the gap in health outcomes for First Nations people.

Shadow treasurer Angus Taylor was pulled up by the speaker for interjecting. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Martin Ollman

WA Liberal MP Melissa Price asked another question about the Makarrata commission: “does the Prime Minister remain committed to a national treaty as called for in the Uluru statement?”

After a lot of to-and-fro about whether Mr Albanese was being relevant to the question, he quoted leading No campaigner Warren Mundine who, in 2017, said he had “always supported treaty between governments and First Nations people”.

That tussle was followed up by another government dixer about the Voice, about how it would help deliver “better skills outcomes” for First Nations Australians.

Brendan O’Connor said it’s “fair to say” that First Nations people “continue to face barriers to skills with tertiary education attainment”.

“The reason the Voice works is that it engages directly with First Nations people,” he said.

Mr Albanese accused the Coalition of running a scare campaign that was ‘running out of steam’. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Martin Ollman

A few questions later, Dan Tehan asked a similar question to Ms Price – “does the Prime Minister remain committed to a national treaty?”

Mr Albanese began his response by saying the Coalition’s “scare campaign is running out of steam – it’s like a whoopee cushion”

Mr Tehan sought a point of order to which a government backbencher yelled out “you idiot”.

Mr Albanese responded by again reading from the Uluru Statement from the Heart.

There was more interjection and to-and-fro before Mr Albanese finally suggested Mr Dutton should “think about” a statement made by Barnaby Joyce earlier this year.

Mr Joyce said “the Prime Minister’s obsession with the Voice means that he has taken his eye off the ball when it comes to economic policy”.

“No economic questions in him – we know who is obsessed,” Mr Albanese said.

Shorten hits out at ScoMo

Government Services Bill Shorten was asked a dixer about the Robodebt royal commission, allowing him to springboard into an attack on former prime minister Scott Morrison, questioning why the member for Cook has not yet resigned “in shame”.