Anthony Albanese accuses Voice critics of inciting ‘culture war’ – ‘open to improving’ proposal

The Prime Minister is going on the front foot in his campaign for an Indigenous Voice to Parliament by accusing his opponents of ‘trying to start a culture war’.

In a speech to be delivered on Sunday, Anthony Albanese will urge Australians to support a referendum to enshrine the Voice in Australia’s Constitution.

He will appeal to people’s ‘generosity, sense of fairness and optimism’, while saying  he is ‘open to improvements or alterations’ to the proposed changes.

Opposition Leader Peter Dutton (pictured left with his wife Kirilly), recently wrote a letter with 15 questions to Mr Albanese, asking for further clarification on the Voice to Parliament

Australians will vote in a referendum in the second half of this year on whether the constitution should be amended to create an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander body to provide advice to the federal parliament on policies affecting them. 

Liberal Opposition leader Peter Dutton recently wrote a letter with 15 questions to Mr Albanese, asking for further clarification on the Voice to Parliament, after attending a referendum working group on Thursday.

‘Australians deserve to be informed before voting at a referendum,’ a Liberal Party spokesman said.

Mr Albanese will use his speech to claim democracy is under threat, saying Australia must learn from events such as the US Capitol attack on January 6, 2021, and the January 8, 2023 riots in Brazil. 

‘Democracy can never be taken for granted. It needs to be nourished, protected, cared for, treated with respect,’ he will say.

‘The Referendum Working Group have already outlined some clear fundamentals,’ Mr Albanese will tell the audience at the Chifley Research Centre in Canberra.

‘The Voice won’t administer funding. It will not deliver programs. It will not have any kind of veto power over decision-making.’

Mr Albanese will address criticism that the proposed clauses are vague by comparing them with Parliament’s powers to make laws on the country’s defence, as outlined in the Constitution.

‘It doesn’t spell-out the size of the ADF, or where it should be based or what sort of defence hardware we should have,’ he will say.

‘And just as well – that section of the Constitution doesn’t even mention the air force, for the very good reason that it became law before the first powered flight.’

Anthony Albanese will on Sunday compare some of the opposition to the Voice to the January 6, 2021 riots in Washington DC. Pictured are supporters of former US president Donald Trump in Washington on that day

He will the authors of Australia’s Federation understood it was up to the government, parliament and the people to ‘deal with the detail and implementation through legislation’.

‘The Constitution contains the power and then parliament uses its democratic authority to build the institution and renovate it as needed.

‘At this year’s referendum – Australians will be voting on the principle.’

His comments come after increasing criticism of the proposal, including calls for specifics to be clarified before a referendum is to be considered.

Shadow attorney-general Julian Leeser urged the Federal Government to deal with Mr Dutton’s ‘reasonable questions’ about the Voice.

Pictured are supporters of Brazilian former president Jair Bolsonaro clashing with security forces during an invasion of the Presidential Palace in Brasilia on January 8, 2023. Anthony Albanese will say on Sunday that Australia must learn from what happened in Brazil

Mr Albanese will tell his audience on Sunday that some opponents are pushing ‘misinformation’ about the Voice online.

‘That’s an inevitable consequence of trying to achieve change,’ he will say.

‘There are always those who want to create confusion and provoke division, to try and stall progress.

‘But moments of national decision, such as this referendum, are also an opportunity for our people to show their best qualities: their generosity, their sense of fairness, their optimism for the future.

‘That’s why I’m optimistic for the success of the referendum – because I’ve always been optimistic about the character of the Australian people.’  

A recent poll for Nine newspapers found Australians’ support for an Indigenous Voice to Parliament has fallen from 53 to 47 per cent.