Indigenous voice to parliament: All about the vibe as Anthony Albanese plays it simple

Anthony Albanese in question time on Thursday. Picture: Getty Images

Anthony Albanese’s refusal to ­explain specific details on the ­Indigenous voice to parliament and executive government is part of a strategy to simplify the Yes ­argument and impose a moral ­obligation on Australians to back the referendum.

Attempts to probe Albanese for more information are met with flippant responses and long-winded answers aimed at avoiding questions about the broad reach and powers of a constitutionally enshrined voice.

The Prime Minister has adopted a “vibe” approach in selling the merits of the constitutional amendment and design of the voice advisory body.

When pressed on detail and legal advice, he tells Australians – many who aren’t listening yet – to trust him.

With the referendum about six months away and voters still not engaged, Albanese is drafting media and political elites to ­blindly back a paucity of information on the voice proposal, with no questions asked.

The government and Yes campaign are desperate to avoid disrupting their plans so far out from the referendum.

Once the June vote on the constitutional amendment occurs, an advertising avalanche will flood voters’ social media ­accounts, television screens and news­papers.

Albanese has been combative and vague since announcing the final wording of the constitutional amendment last week. It’s a tactical approach to silence critics and avoid transparency.

Earlier this week, in response to a legitimate question about whether the voice would be able to provide advice on a policy like Labor’s safeguard mechanism setting new climate targets for big-emitters, Albanese said: “Of all the very strange questions I have been asked about the voice, that’s up there.

“You know, the voice is about matters that directly affect Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. That’s what it’s about.

“And people shouldn’t look for, on the voice, distractions. They can if they want, they can ask all sorts of things about whether it will, you know, give ­advice on who should play five-eighth for Souths this week, but that is not what it is about.”

Albanese’s dismissal of the question was entirely unrelated to what he was asked.

For the record, Cody Walker has been the starting Souths five-eighth since 2017.

When challenged over the substance of the constitutional amendment, powers of the new voice advisory body and potential High Court legal challenges, ­Albanese rattles-off endorsements from his favoured experts and assures Australians that she’ll be right.

Albanese’s simplification of what is a very important referendum, which will impact ­policies and politics for generations, at times channels the ­courtroom pitch delivered by ­suburban lawyer Dennis Denuto in the cult Australian film The Castle.

“It’s the Constitution of Australia. It’s just the vibe of the thing. It’s all part of it, this is what I’m getting at, that’s my point. It’s the vibe of it. In summing up, it’s the Constitution, it’s Mabo, it’s justice, it’s law, it’s the vibe and no, that’s it, it’s the vibe. I rest my case,” ­Denuto said.