Indigenous voice referendum can’t be rushed: Linda Burney

Significant work is needed to build a consensus on the Indigenous voice, incoming Indigenous Australians minister Linda Burney has warned.

Linda Burney says there is hope the ­Coalition could join Labor in supporting a referendum on the Indigenous voice in this term. Picture: Getty Images

Incoming Indigenous Australians minister Linda Burney has warned there is significant work ahead to build a consensus on the Indigenous voice across the nation and even inside the new parliament before a referendum can be held on the question of whether to enshrine it in the Constitution.

Campaigners for the Uluru Statement from the Heart and its call for a constitutionally enshrined voice were jubilant when Anthony Albanese confirmed his commitment to a referendum on the subject during his victory speech on Saturday night.

While Ms Burney has already begun the work of making good on Labor’s commitment, she has told The Australian she will not be rushed on the issue.

“Well, Anthony has talked about certainly the desire to have a referendum in the first term,” she said.

“I know that certainly (the Uluru Statement) From the Heart people have set two dates that they think are appropriate. All of those things will be considered but I am not going to be rushed into anything because I know there are passionate feelings from lots of quarters about this.

“I can hear what the detractors are saying already. That’s pretty clear,” she added.

Ms Burney said it was her job to attempt to bring people together and to inspire the Australian community. She considered this to be a nation-building exercise “that will have everyone invested because at some point they are going to have to make a decision about whether to vote yes or no”.

Ms Burney described her predecessor Ken Wyatt, the first Indigenous Australian elevated to cabinet, as an extremely decent man who was “dealing with a very difficult partyroom” on the topic of the Indigenous voice.

Former prime minister Scott Morrison had refused to commit to a referendum on the Indigenous voice. However, Ms Burney believed there was hope the ­Coalition could join Labor in supporting a referendum on the Indigenous voice in this term.

To win over Australians who were either undecided or opposed she said she wanted to begin with a series of public events and town hall meetings like those held by the Keating government before it passed the historic Native Title Act in 1993. At those events, the Reconciliation Council was involved and Ms Burney predicted Indigenous and non-Indigenous organisations across Australia would play a role in helping Australians prepare to make their choice.

Ms Burney said that while she was not contemplating the possibility the referendum could be delayed until after the next election, she was being pragmatic about the work ahead.

“I think the important thing is that people understand that nothing will change tomorrow and that building a consensus around a referendum requires patience, discussion, a little bit of negotiation,” she said.

“And obviously (it requires) talking to people who agree, people who disagree, and understanding where people are coming from. But it also means inspiring people to understand this is a moment in Australian history that is important and that everyone can be part of.”

Ms Burney is keenly aware that the Greens, whose support for the referendum is likely to be crucial in the Senate if the Coalition opposes it, expect substantial work towards a national treaty with Indigenous people in this term of parliament. However, Ms Burney has cautioned that treaty processes under way in three Australian states have not moved quickly.

“Let’s be honest about treaty; it’s a complex, careful process that you do not rush for the sake of it, you just don’t,” she said.

While the teal independents elected on Saturday support Labor’s proposed referendum in this term of parliament, Ms Burney said she was yet to discuss her portfolio with the Greens.

“I see this (referendum) as something I would hope that the whole parliament could embrace,” she told The Australian.

She also said one of the reasons preparations for the referendum must be thorough is because the bar for success was so high. A majority of Australians in a majority of states must vote yes in order for the Constitution to be changed. There have been 44 referendums in Australia since Federation and only eight have succeeded.

“I’m a realist. There are people who will never agree but my sense is that there will be a ­majority of people who believe in this,” she said.

“When you think about what the voice is going to be, it is a very modest request. It’s an advisory body and I think the most important thing is to get across that point. It’s not a body that will have veto rights. It’s not a body that will be a third chamber. It is an advisory body to parliament. And maybe then we can we can truly address the issues around closing the gap and we will have an Aboriginal voice that will be able to say ‘these are the implications of your legislation – this is what your administration is going to mean’.

“All of these mechanical things – how it will work and so forth – they need to be carefully thought through.”