Albanese presses on despite calls to can the vote

Anthony Albanese is pressing on with the voice referendum despite calls to delay or stop the vote.

The political debate over the Indigenous voice to parliament has descended into an even more divisive and personal attack, as Anthony Albanese totally rejects Peter Dutton’s calls to defer, delay or change the referendum.

The past six months of debate – and the next six months – about the biggest change to the Constitution in 120 years have been reduced to a vicious personal putdown designed to shame and blame supporters of the No campaign and brook no delay.

After a parliamentary week of either refusal or inability to answer questions on the scope of the proposed body’s ability to advise on all government decisions, and Linda Burney’s being forced to backtrack on her assurances about what the voice “won’t do”, the Prime Minister went into full attack mode.

It is the third change of strategy on the voice in as many days as the Indigenous Australians Minister floundered over what areas the voice would affect, and faced rebuttals from Indigenous leaders about what the voice would cover.

What’s more, the government’s legalistic argument that a parliamentary speech from the Attorney-General limits the scope of the voice and insulates against High Court intervention has been laughed out of court by constitutional law experts.

Thus, only minutes after Speaker Milton Dick had appealed, once again, for a kinder, gentler and more respectful parliament, Albanese went totally personal in his defence of the voice and the government’s failing strategy.

In response to the Opposition Leader’s appeal to delay the referendum and split the question so that constitutional recognition of Indigenous Australians could be a unifying “1967 moment”, Albanese rejected any idea of delay or splitting of the bill and accused Dutton of being a man “without a heart” and “totally devoid of empathy”.

Dutton, he said, was a person “completely unworthy” of being the alternative prime minister who has spread “misinformation and disinformation”.

Rejecting any suggestion of splitting the referendum questions between recognition and establishing the voice, Albanese said there could be no delay and repeated his mantra of: “If not now, then when?”

Nor did he attempt to provide any detail or explanation on the scope of the voice’s ability to become involved in government decision-making or make recommendations to parliament.

Albanese insisted there was no threat to government business because parliament would have primacy, and he repeated his claim about the references in parliament to matters “specifically or differently” affecting Indigenous people in response to Dutton’s dismissal of the legal argument.

After constitutional experts had denied the words in a second-reading speech would override the constitutional wording and provide a defence in the High Court, Dutton said it was “legal nonsense” and said Albanese was “tricky”.

“The Prime Minister owes it to the Australian people to be honest”, he said, “and to stop being tricky”. Albanese declared he was optimistic the referendum would pass. Dutton warned a failure or close result would divide the nation and damage reconciliation.

Going into a five-week winter break, the politicians have set a tone on the voice debate that needs to cool off or fall even further into a divisive abyss.