Tony Abbott blasts PM’s voice ‘not about a treaty’ line

Tony Abbott criticises Anthony Albanese as a video resurfaced of him wearing a ‘Voice, Treaty, Truth’ T-shirt at a Midnight Oil concert in October last year.

Anthony Albanese at a Midnight Oil concert. Picture: Daily Mail

Former Prime Minister Tony Abbott has slammed Prime Minister Anthony Albanese for claiming the voice was “not about a treaty” with Indigenous Australians, as a video resurfaced of the Prime Minister wearing a “Voice, Treaty, Truth” T-shirt.

The Prime Minister made the statement last week in a fiery conversation with radio host Ben Fordham on Sydney’s 2GB, becoming frustrated with questioning as he sought to set out the case for the referendum.

“I just say to you and I say to your listeners, read the question you are going to be asked about. It’s not about treaty, it’s not about compensation. It’s just about listening in order to get better governance,” Mr Albanese said.

Former PM Tony Abbott. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Martin Ollman

In an interview with Mr Abbott on Monday, Fordham referred to a video shared by the Daily Mail in October 2022, where the Prime Minister wore the Midnight Oil’s “Voice, Treaty, Truth” T-shirt to their concert.

“Last week Anthony Albanese was here and he said to me that this is not about treaty but over the weekend someone sent me a video of the Prime Minister dancing at the Midnight Oil concert wearing a T-shirt that says ‘Voice, Treaty, Truth’,” Mr Fordham said.

Mr Abbott, replied: “Indeed. And I suppose this is the problem when you turn yourself into a billboard,” Mr Abbott said on the same program on Monday morning.

“And quite apart from anything the Prime Minister chose to wear at a concert, I go back to that initial statement he made as Prime Minister. The new government is committed to the Uluru statement from the Heart in full – in other words, voice, treaty, truth in full.

“It was, as I said, a moment of amnesia for the Prime Minister to deny here in this chair last week that the voice had anything to do with treaty. It has everything to do with treaty.

“The whole point of having a voice, if the activists are to be believed, is to start the treaty making process, and government minister’s have said as much.”

When the Prime Minister was asked in May if the voice would lead to a treaty and truth-telling, he said: “They are very much a part of the next phase, if you like”.

Supporters of an Indigenous voice have also said the body must be established so it can negotiate treaty.

The Prime Minister told 2GB last week, people should “not raise red herrings” and rejected suggestions he shouldn’t risk constitutional recognition for a “mildly popular voice”.

“We’re having a crack here … There isn’t one person (who worked on the Uluru statement) saying we shouldn’t do this. They’re saying this is an opportunity for Australians.”