Splinter group emerges among Liberals refusing to reveal how they will vote in the Indigenous voice to parliament referendum

A splinter group of Liberal MPs is refusing to declare its position on the Indigenous voice to parliament and executive government.

Liberal MP Julian Leeser. Picture: NCA NewsWire/ Ben Symons

A splinter group of Liberal MPs is refusing to declare its position on the Indigenous voice to parliament and executive government, with five confirming they will not participate in either the Yes or the No campaign.

In a sign of deepening division in the party, analysis by The Australian reveals at least 10 per cent of Liberal backbenchers, shadow ministers and shadow assistant ministers will abstain from the referendum campaign trail, while 12 per cent are refusing to say how they’ll vote on polling day.

It follows deputy Liberal leader Sussan Ley and several of her shadow cabinet colleagues remaining coy on how they’ll campaign, despite Peter Dutton vowing to actively work against the government’s voice to enshrine an Indigenous voice in the constitution.

The Liberal backbenchers, shadow ministers and shadow assistant ministers who will be missing from the campaign trail include Tasmanian MP Gavin Pearce, South Australian MP Rowan Ramsey, and Queensland MPs Warren Entsch, Angie Bell and Karen Andrews.

Mr Pearce confirmed he would not actively advocate for either the Yes or the No side at this stage, though he held concerns about the proposed wording reintroducing a “notion of race” into the constitution.

“I’m disappointed with the assertion that I am sitting on the fence with this issue,” he said.

“I’m on the record as saying that I will not be party to shaming or guilting people into feeling a certain way – that’s un-Australian. I believe fundamentally in the democratic process and the individual’s right to make their own decision.”

 

A further six Liberal MPs are not wedded to the party’s No stance, saying they were still undecided on how they would vote at the referendum because they are waiting for the parliamentary inquiry into the voice to deliver its findings, or consulting with their electorates before declaring a position.

One of the undecideds, NSW Senator Andrew Bragg, who is due to establish a Liberals for Yes campaign, has previously expressed support for the voice but told The Australian he was waiting for the inquiry to conclude before he declares his final stance.

A total of 28 confirmed they would be voting No, which is 57 per cent of the 49 Liberal MPs who aren’t in shadow cabinet, and a further 13 (26 per cent) declined to answer, leaving Liberal MPs Julian Leeser and Bridget Archer as the outliers on the Yes side.

Despite the strong inclination towards the No side, significantly fewer among the Liberal ranks were prepared to say they would be campaigning against the voice with just 13 Liberals outside the shadow cabinet confirming they will be on the hustings for the No campaign. This group includes Queensland senators James McGrath and Paul Scarr.

Senator Scarr said his decision was driven by his concerns about inserting a race-based chapter into the constitution, which he described as a “radical departure from equal civic rights”, confirming that he would be entering the fray in the No campaign.

“I believe I have a moral obligation to campaign shoulder-to-shoulder with my colleagues Senators Nampijinpa Price and Senator Liddle whose contributions to this debate, based on their own experiences and perspectives, have been outstanding,” he said. “I have deep and abiding respect for their positions.”

But Senator Liddle hasn’t confirmed she will be campaigning, saying that she remained focused on her role as a member of the Joint Select Committee on the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice Referendum.

Many among the Liberal ranks who said they would vote No indicated they were open to changing their stance if their concerns about the legal ramifications of the voice were addressed, including Victorian senator David Van.