The Nationals will not support an Indigenous Voice to Parliament

The party will oppose the Voice referendum, claiming changing the Constitution could further divide Australians along the lines of race.

Senator Jacinta Nampijinpa Price. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Gary Ramage

The party will oppose the Voice referendum, claiming changing the Constitution could further divide Australians along the lines of race.

The Nationals Party will oppose an Indigenous Voice to Parliament. 

After a partyroom meeting in Canberra on Monday morning, the junior Coalition party has decided to oppose the proposal in a referendum. 

Nationals Leader David Littleproud said the Party had consulted with architects of the Uluṟu Statement from the Heart Pat Anderson and Professor Megan Davis.

“We’ve got to a position where we don’t believe this will genuinely close the gap, so the National party had made a position that we will not support the voice to parliament,” Littleproud said on Monday afternoon.

The decision was immediately criticised by Indigenous Australians minister Linda Burney, who said “politicians who oppose the Voice want to hold this country back.”

Burney has recently traveled to remote Indigenous communities as part of a long consultation process to determine how the Voice would operate.

Indigenous Australians Minister Linda Burney on a trip to consult Aboriginal people about the Voice.

Country Liberal Party Senator for the NT Jacinta Nampijinpa Price slammed Burney for going to Indigenous communities “dripping in Gucci” and telling First Nations’ people “what they need”.

Price, who has frequently voiced her stern opposition to the Voice, said the Party would not support a “failed model”.

“We have to stop dividing this nation on the lines of race,” she said. “We will not be supporting a failed model.”

Senator Price said Indigenous Australians are not looking for “more division”, following the Nationals voicing their opposition to the Voice to Parliament.

“We are part of a liberal, democratic Australia, and one of our fundamental principles is that we are all regarded as equal under the law,” she said. “Despite race, despite gender, despite anything else.”

Senator Price said it was "not racist" to disagree with a proposal that lacks detail and divides us on the lines of race.

“I hope the Voice is not successful," she said.

The decision to stand against the Voice was unanimous, Senator Price said.

“It was a whole party process that we decided to do as a party to understand both sides of the argument, we believe in being well-informed before making a decision and coming to a position” she told the ABC.

“It was something that we all did together as a party."

Senator Price said she will be spearheading a No campaign against the referendum, following conversations with First Nations people across the country.

“Personally I'll be part of a committee leading the no campaign” she told the ABC.

“I've been in conversations with Indigenous Australians across the country about this and with people who are feeling like they are not being heard throughout the debate so far it will be about amplifying their voices”

In regards to funding, Senator Price has called for the government to equally fund both a Yes and No campaign.

“I think it is clear that the government are already funding the Yes campaign through their budget in other ways” she said.

“To say that they are going to come out and not have any funding for a yes and no campaign is a little bit deceitful. They have put millions of dollars toward this referendum without the budget through organisations like an IAAF, they should be funding a Yes and No campaign”.

Where do the other parties stand?

Littleproud said the Liberal Party’s position was a “matter for the Liberal Party”.

“We are two separate parties. We have different values, different principles, different constituencies,” he said.

While the Labor Party firmly support the Voice, the Liberal Party are yet to make their position clear. However, the party is expected to allow members the freedom to campaign however they wish.

The Greens' formal position is to ensure all elements of the Uluru statement are delivered, which include truth, treaty and voice.

The Uluru Dialogue responds

Geoffrey Scott, a spokesperson for the Uluru Dialogue who are instrumental in campaigning for the Voice, said the Nationals' decision to oppose a referendum would "only make us work harder to ensure all Australians understand the importance of voting ‘Yes’ on the question of a Voice to Parliament at a referendum."

"The Uluru Statement from the Heart is an invitation to the Australian people, not politicians or any one political party," he said. 

"We will continue talking with all Australians including supporters of the Nationals. By deciding to do this before a referendum date has even been set, or the detail has been released, it’s clear that the Nationals have put internal politics ahead of the interests of First Nations Peoples."

80% of Australians believe the creation of a national representative Indigenous body is important and should be protected under the constitution, according to the 2022 Australian Reconciliation Barometer released last week.

Support from First Nations people sits at 86%.

No date yet for a referendum

No firm timeline has been set for a referendum to be held, although Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has committed to seeing the change through during his three-year term.

The group behind the Uluru Statement from the Heart - the document which established calls for the Voice - has proposed two dates for the referendum: 27 May 2023, or 27 January 2024.

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Read more coverage on the Voice:

• We don't know what The Voice is but we want it
• Fresh voices have chimed in on The Voice to Parliament
• Albanese's first promise? A referendum