Peter Dutton’s Indigenous Affairs frontbencher set to ‘QUIT from shadow cabinet’

The Coalition’s Indigenous affairs spokesman is set to quit Opposition Leader Peter Dutton’s shadow cabinet over the Liberal Party’s aversion to the Voice.

Sky News reported that Julian Leeser is poised to announce his resignation from the frontbench on Tuesday morning.

It comes after Mr Dutton last week announced the Liberal Party will campaign against Anthony Albanese’s proposed Indigenous Voice to Parliament, like its junior Coalition partner the Nationals.

Mr Leeser, who has long been a supporter of having an Indigenous Voice in the Constitution, will hold a media conference at 11am AEST. 

His resignation from the Coalition frontbench is occurring just days after former Indigenous Australians cabinet minister Ken Wyatt resigned from the Liberal Party, having made history in 2010 as the first Aboriginal member of the House of Representatives.

Mr Leeser last week told the National Press Club there needed to be more detail to get the Liberal Party to potentially support the proposed referendum. 

‘What we have witnessed – in word, deed and actions, has been a repudiation of the collaborative spirit that has marked this process since 2014,’ he said.

‘Good process builds consensus. It helps narrow the issues for debate in a referendum.

‘But Labor is messing this up.’

Mr Lesser also holds the affluent seat of Berowra taking in parts of Sydney’s upper north shore.