Indigenous voice: Greens on board but treaty the target

The Greens have declared they will support the Indigenous voice to parliament, but remain focused on securing ­treaty-making for First Nations people.

Greens First Nations spokeswoman Dorinda Cox. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Gary Ramage

The Greens have declared they will support the Indigenous voice to parliament following the ­release of the body’s principles, but remain focused on securing ­treaty-making and truth-telling for First Nations people.

Greens First Nations spokeswoman Dorinda Cox said while the announcement of the final wording for the constitutional amendment to enshrine the voice was “a big win” for Indigenous Australians, the Greens would ­ensure that details of the legislation – due in June – were “appropriately scrutinised”.

“We will continue our campaign to progress truth and treaty in support of the Yes campaign,” Senator Cox said.

“For the Greens’ partyroom, a successful Yes vote is the pathway to implementing all elements of the Statement from the Heart. When the enabling legislation is introduced, we’ll ensure the details are appropriately scrutinised.”

While the Uluru Statement from the Heart adopted by the government calls for voice, treaty, truth, the Greens maintain a “truth, treaty, voice” order as part of their platform.

Indigenous Minister Linda Burney last month confirmed that details of the Makarrata commission – which would be set up to supervise agreement making and truth telling – would be unveiled in the near future.

It came as Independent senator Lidia Thorpe, the Greens’ former First Nations spokeswoman, launched an impassioned spray over the Indigenous voice to parliament and the newly released principles of the body, which she says “has no real substance for First Nations people”.

Senator Thorpe, who split from the Greens over her views on the voice, attacked the members of the referendum working group, whom she said were “high-paid, hand-picked members of the government’s campaign”.

“(They) have endorsed a body that has no real substance for First Nations people, no veto rights or decision-making power and makes no immediate impact to saving the lives of First Nations people today,” she said.

“The Prime Minister says … ‘If you keep doing the same things you get the same outcomes’. Yet here we are with yet another advisory body to make this government feel better about the ongoing ­colonisation of this country and the genocide being perpetrated against our people.”

It followed Indigenous leader Marcia Langton arguing there was “no evidence” to show previous bodies aimed at improving Indigenous outcomes did not work, and that past consultative groups and councils made “dogged” recommendations to improve outcomes that were not taken up by former governments.

CLP senator Jacinta Price, who has been heading up a No campaign, raised the alarm over the fact that reference to “executive government” had remained in the final wording of the constitutional amendment.

“This voice proposal, the question going forward and the fact that it refers to the executive is very dangerous,” Senator Price said. “This is a warning to Australians to really understand what’s going on here. Given there is reference to the opportunity for the voice to make representations to the executive suggests that they have a power that basically is a power stronger than a cabinet minister.”

She said there was “no guarantee” the model would not lead to challenges in the High Court.

Nationals leader David Littleproud said he was strongly against the voice, but that a decision had not been made within his party over whether to vote against the question of the voice going to a ­referendum.

A final vote on the referendum question will be called in June ahead of the referendum itself, which is slated to be held between October and December.

Peter Dutton said the decision on how the Liberal Party would vote, or if it would formally support or oppose a voice, would be made “in the not too distant future”. The Opposition Leader said it was “absolutely essential” the government release the advice given by the Solicitor-General to the referendum working group over the draft amendment.