Linda Burney calls out ‘No’ campaign for running ‘Trump-style politics’, Jacinta Price hits back

Leading ‘no’ campaigner Jacinta Nampijinpa Price has accused Linda Burney of an ‘arrogant attack’ in a speech where she lambasted ‘Trumpian’ campaign tactics.

Jacinta Nampijinpa Price has accused Linda Burney of launching an “arrogant” and “elitist” attack, after the Indigenous Australians Minister said Voice opponents were using “Trump-style politics”.

Addressing the National Press Club on Wednesday during NAIDOC week, the Indigenous Australians Minister said Fair Australia, the main campaign group against the upcoming Voice to parliament referendum, was threatening to divide Australia.

She warned Australians not to fall for the divisive tactics of the “No” campaign, using her speech to plead for Australians to vote “Yes” when the vote is held sometime between October and December.

“Fair Australia … is imposing Trump-style politics to Australia. It is post-truth and its aim is to polarise, to sow division in our society by making false claims, including providing advice to government would somehow impact the fundamental democratic principle of one vote, one value,” she said.

“A claim designed to mislead. Do not let them divide us”.

Senator Price, a key proponent of the “No” vote and spokeswoman for Fair Australia, said Ms Burney had launched an “arrogant attack” on ordinary Australians voting no, proving the referendum was “about division”.

“If you stand against her campaign to change the Constitution to quite literally divide us by race, you’re accused of division, racism, and misinformation. How is that not divisive?” Senator Price said.

“The good news is that mainstream Australians are wise to the division the ‘Yes’ campaign is trying to enshrine in our national rule book.

“We will not be standing idly by while Ms Burney launches her elitist attacks from the comfort of the Press Club.”

Linda Burney addressed the National Press Club of Australia on Wednesday. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Martin Ollman

Questioned on whether she would consider taking a more aggressive approach to misinformation and division sewing, Ms Burney said it was “up to Peter Dutton”.

“If you want to tell people what to do, stop,” she said, referring to Mr Dutton’s comments that some of the country’s biggest companies supporting a Voice are “craving popularity”.

Asked by journalists whether there was any other path to reconciliation if the Voice were to fail, Ms Burney said her focus was ensuring the vote succeeded.

“I have a very deep commitment and a very deep view that Australians will rise to this,” she said.

“I have every faith.”

During her speech, Ms Burney sought to quiet claims made by opponents that the Voice could make representations on changing the date of Australia Day, or on the Reserve Bank’s cash rate decisions, or on parking tickets.

She said the Voice would have bigger priorities, given the aim of the body would be to close the gap between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians once and for all.

She said the Voice is needed because the gap “isn’t closing fast enough”, and that once operational she said she would ask the Voice to consider four main priority areas: health, education, jobs, and housing.

“When I meet with the Voice for the first time I will say: ‘bring me your ideas on how to stop our people from taking their own lives. Bring me your ideas on how to help our kids go to school and thrive. Bring me your ideas on how we make sure our mob live strong and healthy lives … How we ensure more people have jobs … How we strengthen culture and language … How we keep alive our 65,000 years of culture and make it stronger,” she said.

“I will be asking the Voice for their input to solve these most pressing issues. So there will be important work in the Voice’s in-tray from day one.

“I want it to be active and engaged. We need new perspectives to old challenges … We need a Voice.”

She said the Voice’s priority will be on closing the persistent gap between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Martin Ollman

Against a background of decreasing support for the proposal, Ms Burney said that too often, Aboriginality “condemns” Indigenous people to an early death.

Speaking about her close friend Michael Riley, who died of end stage renal failure, Ms Burney said she was “motivated” to this day by the injustice of his “preventable” death.

“It’s what motivates me every day to put one foot in front of the other, to do better by Indigenous Australians, to do better for future generations,” she said.

“We can and we must do better.”

She said that new data showing just four of 19 closing the gap targets are “on track” is the clearest sign yet something drastic needs to happen, and that a Voice was the best option available.

“We have everything to gain and nothing to lose by supporting the Voice,” she said.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese will decide when Australians go to the polls, sometime between October and December. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Martin Ollman

In response to suggestions from the Opposition that the Voice should be legislated, rather than constitutionally enshrined, Ms Burney said there were two main reasons why that would not work.

“One: A Voice or representative body cannot be truly independent or give frank advice if the government of the day can abolish it with the stroke of the pen,” she said.

“Two: It’s what First Nations people requested in the Uluru Statement from the Heart.

“The starting point for reconciliation has to be listening to the wishes of Indigenous people. The starting point cannot be a political fix made in Canberra.”