Unions blame Peter Dutton for Voice defeat

Michele O’Neil expressed the union movement’s “unwavering solidarity” with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.

Australian Council of Trade Unions president Michele O'Neil. Picture: NCA NewsWire/Martin Ollman

The union movement has blamed the referendum defeat on Peter Dutton’s decision to have the ­Liberal Party campaign against the voice.

ACTU president Michele O’Neil on Sunday expressed the union movement’s “unwavering solidarity” with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people who she said would be feeling “pain and grief” after the referendum loss.

“This referendum was lost on April the 5th, which is the day that Peter Dutton made a decision and announced that the Liberal Party would campaign against this referendum,” Ms O’Neil said.

“That’s the day that he turned what was really a positive invitation from First Nations people into a political and partisan ­moment, and he is, of course, doing that for … political interests and his own interests.

“People will look at this result and look for complex reasons but we know that referendums to succeed in this country need bipartisan support.”

Ms O’Neil said there were many reasons for the No vote.

“Some people wanted more change, some people wanted more information and some people were opposed to that change,” she said.

Asked whether federal Labor could have done things differently, she said she had enormous ­respect for its position.

“I think Labor campaigned very hard. I don’t think that there is anything more that they could have done,” she said.

“I think this campaign was lost when it lost bipartisan support when Peter Dutton decided he was going to lead a political No campaign.

“That’s our analysis of this campaign. That the fault lies not in the campaign of the Labor Party, not in the campaign of the Yes campaign, not in the campaign of the many thousands of people around the country who worked so hard, it lies at the feet of Peter Dutton and his decision to turn this into a partisan, political campaign.”

Ms O’Neil said unions ­accepted the democratic decision of the majority “but we also know that change is hard and a (No) campaign that is about turning what was I think a simple thing into something that was presented as complex is in some ways easier to do”.

“It’s easier to oppose something than it is to win change. We know that from our history,” she said.

“The thing we also know as unionists is that change takes time and those campaigns have their setbacks but it’s important that we stand up again.

“We will stand up again with Aboriginal and Torres Strait ­Islander people so we’ll listen to what’s next. We’re committed to listening to what First Nations People say is the next right thing to do but we’re not going anywhere.”

“I think in a practical sense it’s right to give Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people time to regroup and consider what is the request next of supporters and we respect the need for that time. And we’ll be there and we will listen as to what the next ask of that is and we’ll be there again.”