Tasmanian Premier Jeremy Rockliff pushed to increase Indigenous voice to parliament Yes role

Pro-voice Tasmanian Liberal Premier Jeremy Rockliff is accused of being ‘missing in action’ from the referendum campaign, as Yes figures urge him to take a bigger role to head-off a state No vote.

Tasmanian premier Jeremy Rockliff. Picture: Peter Mathew

Pro-voice Tasmanian Liberal Premier Jeremy Rockliff has been accused of being “missing in action” from the referendum campaign, as Yes figures urge him to take a bigger role to head off a state No vote.

Mr Rockliff, a Liberal moderate whose supporters in August just defeated an “attempted coup” by senior conservatives, talked up the voice before the referendum date was announced, promising to “campaign vigorously”.

However, some in the Yes camp say the Premier has been “largely absent” from the hustings, attending only a couple of low-key functions, and crucially failing to appear at last weekend’s Yes23 marches.

They say unlike his Liberal predecessor and fellow voice supporter Peter Gutwein, Mr Rockliff has not pressed the flesh in shopping malls with Yes campaigners, as many had hoped.

Some believe the Premier has “pulled his punches” on the voice to avoid further antagonising some Liberal conservatives, amid ongoing internal party tensions.

Mr Rockliff rejected the criticisms and assured the Yes camp he would take part in further Yes events. “I declared my support for the voice early and have repeated my strong support often,” he told The Australian.

“I have been proud to attend a number of events over the past few months as part of the campaign, and look forward to further participating ahead of the referendum on October 14.”

Prominent Indigenous Yes campaigner Rodney Dillon defended Mr Rockliff but said he would approach him to urge a bigger role in the remainder of the campaign.

“I’d like to see both the Premier and the Leader of the Opposition (Rebecca White) out and about helping us (in the final weeks),” Mr Dillon said.

“It would be handy.”

He said he was grateful to the Premier for backing the voice, and acknowledged he had internal party issues to address and “the state to run”.

However, Yes campaigners believe Mr Rockliff could be key in winning over Liberal voters and the “soft No”, while Mr Dillon said the Premier could help kick goals in the campaign’s dying days.

“Rocky’s a bit short for a ­centre-half forward but we could put him ruck rover at least,” Mr Dillon said.

Mr Rockliff’s supporters said he did not attend the weekend march because of Battle of Britain commemorations and his daughter’s university open day and they denied he would compromise strongly held beliefs.

In August, Mr Rockliff’s supporters narrowly averted what was widely seen as an attempt by conservatives Eric Abetz and Brendan Blomeley to take control of the party’s state executive.

Mr Blomeley, backed by Mr Abetz, is now seeking preselection for the party’s no. 2 Senate spot, at the expense of relatively moderate and former federal minister Richard Colbeck.

Senator Colbeck originally supported the voice to parliament but last week put his name to a Liberal Senate team No pamphlet claiming the voice “risks delays and dysfunction”, “divides us” and is “legally risky”.

He denied his change of heart was an attempt to appease party conservatives to save his Senate spot.

“Those suggestions are wrong – that’s not what I’m about or who I am and I’ve never done that in the past and wouldn’t do it now,” he told The Australian.

He said he switched sides after Anthony Albanese refused to remove the words “executive government” from the referendum question, before his Senate spot was challenged.

Ms White said she was a “proud supporter” of the Yes ­campaign.

“I have been joining with volunteers across Tasmania to speak with our community on the doors and at street stalls, and I was one of thousands who walked in support of the voice in Hobart,” she said.

“I will continue to campaign in support of constitutional recognition of Aboriginal Australians and for the voice as we build momentum towards October 14.”

Mr Dillon said the Yes campaign was battling a large “fear factor” in Tasmania, as elsewhere.

“This is not simple and it’s not easy; there are some conservatives hard against it,” he said.

“It’s the older voters we have to win over.

“That goes back to John Howard scaring people into thinking we were going to take everyone’s backyard with native title and Tony Abbott saying with the apology we’d be locked up in courts for the rest of our lives.

“It’s just another one of those fear factors. But I put my faith behind the people.”