Voice, treaty to dominate final Question Time for week ahead of Garma Festival
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has faced yet another grilling on the Voice in the final question time of the week. Here’s how it happened.
The heat has been turned up on the Voice, as the Coalition used the last Question Time of the week to pin down the government on its plans for treaty.
Ahead of the Prime Minister’s journey to the Northern Territory for the annual Garma festival, Question Time was dominated with questions about the Voice to parliament and whether the government’s full commitment to the Uluru Statement of the Heart would result in costly reparations.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese had earlier this week ruled out starting a treaty process in this term of parliament, saying it instead was currently a matter for the states.
The Opposition has claimed Mr Albanese has avoided their questions about his commitment to implementing the Uluru Statement in full, which includes a Makarrata commission for truth telling and treaty.
The independent commission was allocated $5.8m in the October 2022 budget, with questions lingering over what that money will be used for.
PM criticises Opposition’s Voice decision
Peter Dutton’s first question to Mr Albanese questioned the government‘s intention with Makarrata. He asked whether the Prime Minister’s problem was one of competency, or if he simply said “whatever he thinks people want to hear”.
In response, Mr Albanese once again extended an invitation to Mr Dutton to attend the Garma festival, to “move away from his dirt unit and sit in the red dirt”.
Mr Albanese said the opposition’s commitment to a legislative Voice, “completely undermines every argument that they make against it”.
“They clearly acknowledge it is needed, otherwise why would they legislate? Clearly they recognise it will make a positive difference, otherwise why do they want it legislated,” he said.
“This confected outrage by those opposite with regard to the Uluru Statement of the Heart is just that, confected. Seeking political advantage, by undermining the most disadvantaged group in Australia – who happen to be First Nations People.”
Questions over Commonwealth compensations
The next question from the Opposition was along a similar vein, with deputy leader Sussan Ley pressing Indigenous Australians Minister Linda Burney over whether or not she supports treaty with “annual compensation paid by the Commonwealth”.
Ms Burney used her question to extend an invitation to Ms Ley to this weekend’s Garma, in addition to Mr Albanese’s earlier invitation to Mr Dutton.
She said while the Uluru Statement did call for Makarrata, the Voice to parliament was its first priority.
“Progress on Makarrata will not occur until after the referendum,” Ms Burney said.
“Our priority is constitutional recognition through a Voice. Our priority is recognition, listening and getting better results.”
Attempting to take a different route, shadow treasurer Angus Taylor asked Treasurer Jim Chalmers to reveal what the $5.8m set aside in last October’s budget to a Makarrata commission would go to, noting $900,000 had already been spent.
Hitting back, Dr Chalmers said the government was taking its role seriously in “seeking and delivering better outcomes for First Nations people”.
“This referendum is not about Makarrata, it’s about a Voice to parliament. About recognition and listening,” Dr Chalmers said.
Seeking to bring him back to the question, Mr Taylor said he had posed a “very specific and polite question” in seeking to drill down the details of the commission and its budget allocations.
As Dr Chalmers continued to answer the question, saying the money in the budget was “going towards getting better outcomes for First Nations people”.
“This is all about trying to close the gap in outcomes”.
His answer was peppered with interjections, including what appeared to be a quip from former prime minister Scott Morrison, who called on Dr Chalmers to “just say treaty once”.
Dutton’s brazen QT Voice move
Unsatisfied with the answers given to the government’s questions, Mr Dutton sought to move a motion for the House to note, among other things, that the Prime Minister was “dividing the nation” with the Voice.
He said Mr Albanese had promised “on 34 occasions to implement the Uluru Statement from the Heart in full, which includes the Makarrata commission’s national treaty process, but has since continually denied people that treaty”.
When leave was not granted, Mr Dutton buckled down – moving for standing orders to be suspended so that the Opposition could move its motion.
“The best case scenario of this incompetent Prime Minister’s approach to the Voice is that he might get a 51-49 yes outcome, bearing in mind that you need a double-majority,” Mr Dutton said.
“That puts our country straight down the middle … no Prime Minister in good conscience would decide over such a process, unless he was seeking political advantage or unless he was out of his depth.”
Mr Dutton again insisted a question on Constitutional recognition for First Nations people would receive bipartisan support in Australia:
“It would receive 80 per cent support across the nation. That can be put to the people in October of this year,” Mr Dutton said.
“It would not divide but unite the country and yet our prime minister knowingly rejects that proposition. Why?”
The motion was seconded by Nationals Leader David Littleproud, who said Mr Albanese had taken the nation to a “pivotal moment in its history”.
“The onus of their responsibility is to lead our country and build trust with honesty and transparency about the proposition they propose to the Australian people to make,” he said.
“Voice, truth and treaty … that journey should be explained in entirety.”
Mr Albanese then took to the dispatch box, sounding fired up as he criticised Mr Dutton and other Liberals who abandoned the Stolen Generation Apology, telling the party they had a chance to redeem themselves by standing on the right side of history.
“In the lead up to this parliamentary sitting week we were told it was going to be about cost of living. But they have given up on cost of living and decided to stick with dividing. They decided to stick with division,” Mr Albanese said.
Mr Albanese called out Mr Dutton who refused to be in the parliament when then prime minister Kevin Rudd gave the apology to Stolen Generations.
“It was a proud moment to be in this parliament. …. That moment to lift up our nation,” Mr Albanese said.
“The Leader of the Opposition not only opposed it, he threatened to resign from the front bench over it, and walked out … on that event.
Mr Albanese said Mr Dutton was one of the few who “just couldn’t cop the concept of saying sorry for the wrong thing being done, for children being stolen from mothers, fathers and grandparents, families and communities. Could not stomach it. Could not stomach it.”
The move to suspend standing orders to debate the motion then went to a division, with Tasmanian MP Bridget Archer the only Coalition member to side with the government, alongside the crossbench.
Question time then resumed.
Shorten: Libs must cut Morrison loose
Question Time turned away from the Voice when a question on Robodebt was asked to Government Services Minister Bill Shorten about former prime minister Scott Morrison’s criticism of the royal commission report.
Mr Morrison earlier this week gave a speech in Parliament in which he rejected the findings against him.
Mr Shorten said just 22 of the speech’s 2114 words referenced the impact of the program on the victims, while the rest of the speech had been devoted to himself.
Throughout his answer, Mr Morrison repeatedly interjected, prompting him to be warned by Speaker Milton Dick.
Mr Shorten said he had to watch Mr Morrison’s speech twice, dumbfounded that Mr Morrison had said, “I stopped robodebt”.
“How dare you take credit for stopping robodebt when you started robodebt. How dare you minimise the courage of the victims,” Mr Shorten said.
Mr Shorten then issued a warning to the Coalition.
“The Member for Cook leaves you in an untenable position. You broke the law and you hurt people, you broke the law and wasted taxpayers money and you broke the law and continue to defend the indefensible,” Mr Shorten said.
“You have a simple choice. Cut him loose. Cut him loose or he will damage the whole Liberal herd. Cut him loose now.”
Parliament to light up for Matildas
A taste of good news to end a tough 90 minute Question Time, with Mr Dick confirming Parliament House would be lit up on both Sunday and Monday nights in green and gold to support the Matildas.
The team, through to the round of 16 in the World Cup, will play Demark on Monday night.
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