Ken Wyatt rebukes Peter Dutton’s view on the Indigenous voice to parliament saying it’s ‘not elite but grassroots’
Former Indigenous Australians minister Ken Wyatt said Peter Dutton’s characterisation of the Indigenous voice to parliament proposal as a Canberra voice populated by elites was ‘far from the truth’.
On Tuesday former Indigenous Australians minister Ken Wyatt, who quit the Liberal Party last week over Peter Dutton’s opposition to the voice, said the Opposition Leader’s characterisation of the proposal as a Canberra voice populated by elites was “far from the truth”.
“It is about local community designing their regional voice and then their regional voice selecting people to represent them in Canberra,” Mr Wyatt told ABC’s 7.30. “It is not elite, it is people from the grassroots.”
He said there was nothing to be feared from allowing the voice to advise the executive government. It was common practice in portfolios outside Indigenous affairs for stakeholders to give their views to executive government.
This happened routinely when he was responsible for aged care, he said. “Organisations worked directly with me on legislation. This is not a detrimental process.
“It is too late after the partyroom, it is too late after it’s been introduced into the parliament.”
Mr Wyatt said it was always his intention as Indigenous Australians minister to establish a national voice, linked to local and regional voices.
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