Nationals paved the way for Liberal No swing

Nationals Leader David Littleproud says the decision to oppose the voice in late 2022 gave people ‘comfort to explore’ a No vote.

Nationals Leader David Littleproud says his party’s decision to oppose the voice as early as November 2022 gave people “comfort to explore” a possible No vote and made it easier for the Liberal Party to swing in against the constitutional change four months later in April.

Mr Littleproud conceded that he was initially “concerned that the (voice) proposition was going to get up given where the polls were at the time” but said the regional party “came together” to back a No vote despite the decision of NSW MP Andrew Gee to leave the party room.

“We had to have the courage of our conviction and we made sure that we gave the Australian people the real story about how you close the gap and how this proposition wasn’t a new one,” he said. “We had a representative body – it was called ATSIC and it failed us.”

Mr Littleproud said that it “took courage from Peter Dutton to get his party room to get to our position”, but argued that the Nationals had set the tone of the national debate and made it “easier” for the Liberals to embrace a No vote.

“We have set the respectful tone of this debate,” he said. “There was no National that yelled or screamed or called anyone a name.”

Mr Littleproud — whose electorate of Maranoa had the highest No vote in the country at 84 per cent — said that he created a subcommittee within the Nationals party room in August last year to discuss what position to adopt on the voice which included Jacinta Price, Mark Coultan and Anne Webster.

The Australian understands that a group of National MPs including Keith Pitt, Matt Canavan, Colin Boyce, Barnaby Joyce and Senator Price led the push to oppose the voice, eventually convincing the Party Room to back the No case.

“When the Nationals came out (against the voice) it was 65 per cent in favour,” Mr Littleproud said. “From when we came in we were able with authority and conviction – with Jacinta and Warren – we were able to reach a lot of Australians.”

“Myself and Peter Dutton couldn’t front this campaign. We actually needed Indigenous Australians with lived experience to have the courage of their conviction to come forward with that authenticity … but also the practical expertise on how we address it,” he said. “I think that resonated for those who were prepared to open their mind.”

Mr Pitt, whose electorate of Hinkler voted 80 per cent in favour of the No side, said the resounding defeat of the referendum in largely regional and outer suburban seats reflected the power of the bush.

Hinkler MP Keith Pitt’s electorate of Hinkler voted 80 per cent in favour of the No side.

“The regions don’t do it often but when they flex their muscles and their political will, the Australian people listen,” he said.

Mr Joyce told The Australian that it was “incredibly important” for the Nationals to have come out so early against the voice “because it reflected the views of our constituents.”

“You would have had a little bit of explaining to do in your local electorate that they are going to support a new racial clause in the constitution,” Mr Joyce said.

The former Nationals Leader also said the results showed the division in Australia was not between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal people but “between Teal seats and Canberra and the rest of Australia”.

Capricornia MP Michelle Landry said regional communities were angry and resentful of being treated as “second class citizens” and had rejected the voice because they didn’t “understand what they were voting for”.

“Everyone wants to see a better life for our Indigenous community, but when it‘s a change in the Constitution and you don’t know what you’re voting for, people can’t support it,” she said.

Flynn MP Colin Boyce, whose electorate returned the second highest return for the No side at almost 84 per cent, said “latte-sipping” city dwellers had become divorced from the reality of life in the regions.

“(The voice referendum) is just an example of the lack of understanding of metro people of what happens in the ground in remote Australia particularly these Indigenous communities that suffer these horrendous social issues,” he said.