Tony Abbott claims Indigenous voice ‘approaches a veto’ on government

Tony Abbott has claimed a voice to parliament would have ‘something approaching a veto’ over decisions of the federal government.

Former PM Tony Abbott. Picture: AFP

Tony Abbott has claimed a voice to parliament would have “something approaching a veto” over decisions of the federal government, in a prelude to the negative campaign facing Anthony Albanese ahead of the referendum.

The former prime minister – who ran the successful no campaign against a republic referendum in 1999 – has outlined his opposition to enshrining the “race-based body” in the Constitution through assertions that will be rejected by the Albanese government and proponents of the Uluru Statement from the Heart.

Writing in The Australian, Mr Abbott warned the body would “change the way our government works” and make the legislative process in parliament more complicated.

“Because a particular group will have an unspecified say, over unspecified topics, with unspecified ramifications,” Mr Abbott wrote. He poured doubt over the intention for the voice – as stated by the Prime Minister’s suggested amendment to the Constitution – to act as no more than an advisory body to parliament over Indigenous issues.

“A voice to the parliament would not actually be power – unless it turns out to be much more than just an advisory body,” Mr Abbott wrote.

“Close consultation with Indigenous people, sometimes through legislated (and elected) bodies like ATSIC and sometimes through executive action such as the Indigenous Advisory Council that I appointed as PM, has been happening for decades.

“If this body really is, in the PM’s words, to ‘end 121 years of commonwealth governments arrogantly believing they know enough to impose their own solutions on Aboriginal people’ it’s obviously going to have something approaching a veto over decisions the parliament might otherwise make.”

Mr Abbott’s intervention will place pressure on Mr Albanese to outline more detail on how the voice body would function, amid fears a negative campaign could capitalise on any ambiguity.

In his speech to the Garma Festival on the weekend, Mr Albanese said the voice body would not have a veto over the decisions of parliament.

“ It will be an unflinching source of advice and accountability – not a third chamber, not a rolling veto, not a blank cheque,” he said.

Mr Albanese outlined recommendations on how the Constitution would be changed.

His draft suggestions make clear the design of the body would be a matter for the parliament but the voice mandate would not exceed acting as an ­advisory body to the federal government on issues that impact Indigenous people.