Anthony Albanese’s message to Aussies planning to vote no on Indigenous voice

Australians planning to vote ‘No’ to an Indigenous voice to parliament in an upcoming referendum have been assured their views aren’t racist.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said people who oppose the Voice are entitled to their views after Opposition Leader Peter Dutton accused him of name-calling over the issue.

Asked if people who didn’t back the advisory body being enshrined in the Constitution were racist, Mr Albanese responded ‘no’.

‘Peter Dutton is doing his best to turn up the heat on the debate,’ he told Adelaide radio 5AA on Tuesday.

Beyond Blue has warned of the harm caused by racism and discrimination as the mental health support service backed a ‘yes’ vote for the voice.

It also announced former federal Liberal minister for Indigenous Australians Ken Wyatt would join Beyond Blue’s board.

‘I’m looking forward to becoming part of an organisation that has the courage to advocate for what’s fair and right,’ he said.

Beyond Blue chair and former Labor prime minister Julia Gillard called for a respectful debate on the voice

‘Recognising the profound harm that racism and discrimination does to mental health, Beyond Blue appeals for calm, informed and respectful debate in the lead-up to the voice referendum,’ she said.

Facing opposition accusations he’d prioritised the voice over the rising cost of living, Mr Albanese noted the government had provided a relief package in the 2023/24 budget.

‘At the same time we are going to give the Australian people the opportunity to vote on something that overwhelmingly will not have a direct impact on most Australians,’ he said.

‘But it just might make a positive difference for some of the most disadvantaged Australians.

‘This is something that is within the Australian ethos of the fair go.’

Debate continued in federal parliament on Tuesday on draft laws setting out the proposed change to the constitution, ahead of a voice referendum between October and December.

The bill could pass the lower house as early as Wednesday, before it heads to the Senate later in the month.

A coalition party room meeting on Tuesday was told ‘authorised dissenters’ had been nominated to vote against the voice bill, for the purpose of having input on the referendum pamphlet which will be sent out to all households.

The Liberal whips have coordinated the process to choose which MPs will vote against the legislation.

A regional MP said the ‘no’ campaign had not yet been granted deductible gift recipient status for the referendum and called on the leadership to work it out.

But it was the ‘no’ campaign that withdrew its application after two groups merged.

Nationals leader David Littleproud said the government was focused on ‘niche social issues when people are doing it tough financially’.

Delivering the Lowitja O’Donoghue Oration in Adelaide on Monday, Mr Albanese said he believed Australians would wake up on that morning with ‘the strongest sense of ourselves’.

‘A great nation that has dared to become even greater, not just to ourselves but to the world,’ he said.

Mr Albanese said that after a successful referendum, treaty and truth-telling would be part of the nation’s next phase of reconciliation with Indigenous people.

‘One of the things that a voice to parliament will be able to do is talk about the need for agreement-making and coming together after a conflict, and part of that is truth-telling about our history,’ he said.